A Champion's Story
by Blackheart214
Summary: Captured and blackmailed by the Seekers of the Chantry, Garrett Hawke is asked to do one thing before helping his captors save Thedas: tell his story. Rated M for violence, swearing, and sexual themes and situations.
1. Seeker of the Chantry

**Author's Note****~ it has been quite some time since I posted anything on this site. After having my last laptop crap out on me I was forced to give up writing for a month and a half. Luckily my dear mother surprised me with a laptop for my birthday earlier this month and I was able to write again.**

**Anyway, after playing and beating Dragon Age II three times I decided that I really wanted to write a fanfiction about it and a possible sequel since the game kind of left off on a cliffhanger. I also decided to add a new companion to the party who will be appearing later on since I was a little surprised Bioware didn't include a character like the one I made up. Also, I will not be including Sebastian Vael from the Exiled Prince DLC in this story because I still don't have it and I don't really plan on getting it.**

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Two armored men dragged the man's body through the door. The men were adorned in the armor worn by members of the mysterious "Seekers of the Chantry". They handled their quarry rather roughly as they dragged him through the hall of the Chantry. The man didn't resist, or rather he was unable to. They had taken his weapons and had his hands and feet bound. They had even covered his head with a burlap sack to keep knowledge of his location from him. The sack had been on his head since they grabbed him back in Antiva City. The man silently remarked on how these people left nothing to chance.

They carried him up the staircase and into the office of the Grand Cleric who had temporarily relinquished the Chantry for the "Seekers'" use. They then roughly forced him into a chair and removed the sack from his head, exposing his face to the light.

All the armored men and women in the room gathered around to look at the face of the man who they were told was the only one that may be able to save their world from war. He was a fairly young man somewhere between his late twenties and early thirties. He had black hair that was mid-length, stopping just above his broad shoulders; a few strands hung over his handsome face that had a light stubble. Through the rogue strands of hair that covered a small piece of his face some of the men and women could see the piercing blue eyes that contained vast experience- experience that almost none of them had ever had and most likely never will.

He was dressed rather casually, having been taken hostage by surprise in his own residence, wearing only a pair of black trousers and boots, and a puffy white shirt. There was some dry blood on the front of his shirt from the blow to the face he took when he resisted once he realized he was being taken captive.

For a few seconds there was nothing but silence in the room. It annoyed the man greatly so he sought to end the silence.

"Would someone mind telling me what the hell is going on?" he demanded.

"I believe that someone would be me," a female voice answered.

The man looked up to see an armored woman with short black hair approaching him.

"I am Cassandra Pentaghast, Seeker of the Chantry. Greetings, Garrett Hawke… better known as "the Champion of Kirkwall"," she said with a quick bow.

"Oh… so that's what this was about," Garrett said in realization. "I wondered what Varric meant when he mentioned black armored soldiers were coming to get me."

"Varric Tethras told you about us?" the Cassandra asked curiously. "How? There is no way he could have gotten to you before us."

"You've spoken to Varric about me no doubt, but you still underestimate him and the various connections he has?" Garrett asked with a smirk. Cassandra seemed to consider his words.

"You are right; I suppose the possibility of _him_ getting word to you is hardly unlikely."

"So what do you want from me, Seeker?"

"What do you think we want, Champion?"

"I'm terrible a guessing games when I'm tied up," Garrett said referring to the ropes that had long been chaffing his ankles and wrists.

Cassandra nodded to one of the men in the room and he pulled out a dagger to cut Garrett's restraints. Once the confining material was cut from his person, Garrett massaged his red wrists with relief.

"That's much better," he said with a relieved sigh.

"We need your help, Champion," Cassandra stated, wanting to get back on topic.

"I hear that a lot," Garrett said with a light chuckle.

"This is not the time for jokes!" Cassandra said in annoyance. Garrett only sighed.

"What do you people want from me?"

"There has been much chaos in Thedas because of what happened in The Gallows," Cassandra began.

"That was hardly all my fault," Garrett commented.

"Perhaps not, but you were at the center of it all when it happened. We need your help in preventing an all-out war within Thedas and restoring order."

"Not interested," Garrett said dismissively.

"Do you have any idea what is at stake here?" Cassandra practically shouted. "The Chantry stands upon the brink of oblivion, the Templars and mages are leaving havoc in their wake, and the world we all know, the world The Maker left to us, is about to burn."

"And that's truly unfortunate, but it's hardly my problem," Garrett said, unfazed.

"It is everyone's problem!" Cassandra seethed coming within inches of Garrett's face.

"I've done my share of helping and looked what happened," Garrett responded. "My home still tore itself apart, despite my best efforts to keep it from doing so."

"And yet you still came out alive," Cassandra remarked, calmly this time. "That is why we require the help of someone like you."

"You can do this without me; I'm just one man."

"No, you are more than that," Cassandra said. "You are Garrett Hawke, The Champion of Kirkwall, Slayer of the Quanri, and Vanquisher of Mad Meredith."

"That last one is new," Garrett said with a chuckle. "That's what they call her now?"

"That's not the point! We need your help!" Cassandra repeated.

"I believe you already have my answer, Seeker," Garrett said calmly.

Cassandra sighed in annoyance.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this," she said, regret evident in her voice. "If you refuse to help, then I cannot guarantee the safety of your woman."

Garrett's eyes widened.

"What have you done to her? Where is she?" Garrett shouted as he rose up from his seat and got with inches of Cassandra's face.

Every one of the guards in the room drew their swords and had them aimed at all of Garrett's vital spots. Cassandra's face remained stony, unaffected by Garrett's expected outburst.

"She is safe," Cassandra assured. "And so is the child she carries."

Garrett's angered vanished instantly and was replaced by a mixture of shock, horror and happiness.

"What?" he breathed out.

"You did not know?" Cassandra asked genuinely surprised, but quickly decided to use this to her advantage. "Then I suppose you two will have much to talk about… if you agree to help us."

Garrett glowered at Cassandra in pure anger.

"If you harm her…" he threatened.

"That depends on you, Champion," Cassandra responded evenly.

Garrett clenched his fists so hard, the sound of cracking knuckles was heard by just about everyone in the room.

"So this is how low the Chantry is willing to stoop," he taunted.

"I take no pleasure in this," Cassandra stated, offended, "but it is for the good of Thedas."

Garrett took a few deep breaths before returning to his seat, his head hung in defeat.

"So do I have your word?" Cassandra asked.

"You play a dangerous game, Seeker… but yes, you have my word," Garrett said with a glare.

"I thank you for seeing reason, Champion."

"What is it you need me to do?"

"First things first: I want to hear your version of what happened," she stated.

"Was Varric's version not good enough?" Garrett asked curiously. "Though, I can't blame you; he does tend to exaggerate... and just plain lie"

"Despite some details, I do not doubt that most of what Varric Tethras had told me was the truth. However, many of my fellow Seekers don't believe that you are truly the only one who can help us. I believe hearing the story from you would set aside any doubts any of us may have," Cassandra explained. "And... I am truly interested in hearing your side of the story."

"Where would you like me to start?" Garrett asked.

"From the beginning."

"Very well," Garrett said as he got comfortable in his seat. This was going to take quite some time.

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**And there's the prologue chapter.**

**I had a hard time making up my own version of Hawke for this story, since I wasn't too into the default look Bioware had created; I personally think they made him look way too old. My Garrett Hawke is meant to look like Hugh Jackman since I think he fits the physical description of what Hawke should look like. It was only after watching both Van Helsing and X-Men that I came to this decision.**

**I think I'll leave the identity of Hawke's girl a mystery for now. Anyone care to guess who it is; I'm interested in what you all think. There are really only two options after all since I mentioned it was a girl so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out.**

**Until next time!**

**You see that little thing down there that says "review"? Go ahead and click it. You know you want to. Do it. Dooooo iiiiiiiitttt. DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTT!**


	2. Flight of the Hawkes

**Authors Note:**** Let me just say that I'm very surprised at how much attention this story got within twenty four hours. I thank all the people that reviewed and story-alerted this fic. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I had school work that took me away from this story for a couple of days, but luckily I had plenty of time time to sit in front of my laptop and spend about four hours finishing this chapter. I'm also amused at all your opinions on Hawke's mystery girl. I won't reveal who it is for a few more chapter, but some seem to have an idea of who it is... or maybe you don't! You'll just have to wait and see ;)  
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**DISCLAIMER~ Dragon Age II is the sole property of Bioware.**

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_You know how the story begins. The Blight had come to Fereldan. The first attempt to stop it was at the ruins of Ostagar. My brother, Carver, and I served in King Cailan's army together. When Loghain betrayed the King, the Darkspawn soon overwhelmed us. Once we had heard of Cailan's death, my brother and I ran. With the army defeated, we both knew it was only a matter of time before the horde reached Lothering. We ran home as fast as our legs could carry us, but by the time we got there the Darkspawn were hot on our heels. We grabbed our mother and little sister, Bethany, and just barely made it out of our home in time before the Darkspawn got to it. We ran. We didn't know where we were going when we did, but we had to get away._

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The Hawke family ran for their lives through the Southron Hills. A small group of Darkspawn had caught up to them from the now-burning village of Lothering. Garrett Hawke, the oldest of the Hawke children was at the head of the fleeing family. His mother, Leandra, stood in-between his younger siblings, Bethany and Carver. They had been running from Lothering for nearly half an hour and the family matriarch was showing signs of heavy fatigue, but pressed forward after looking back at the dark, deadly blades, sharp teeth and soulless eyes that were chasing after her. Unfortunately, she wasn't as young as she once was and it wasn't long before her legs gave out and she collapsed on the ground gasping for breath. Her children heard her fall and immediately stopped in their tracks. They ran back towards their fallen mother ready to defend her against the foul demons.

Bethany was the first to react and immediately set the path behind her family ablaze with a Fireball spell, incinerating the Darkspawn at the head of the pack. The other three pressed forward through the flames and raised their swords. Garrett quickly removed the twin daggers on his back and charged the Darkspawn head on. The first Darkspawn raised its sword prepared cut Garrett in half. Garrett swung his blade and slashed at the creature's throat, cutting deep enough to render the Darkspawn nearly headless. He watched it fall in a dead heap behind him and then quickly turned to face the second Darkspawn that charged him. It reared its blade back and prepared to run him through. Garrett sidestepped the attack and drove his dagger through an opening in the monster's armor underneath its armpit and into its tainted heart. The Darkspawn went limp on his blade and Garrett kicked off onto the ground. The final Darkspawn came within inches of Garrett, sword poised for a killing blow. Garrett wouldn't be able to defend against it in time, but luckily he didn't have to. His brother, Carver, drew his greatsword from his back, leapt up into the air and brought his blade down as hard as he could on the Darkspawn, effectively cleaving it in half.

With the Darkspawn dead, Bethany ran to her mother's side and helped her to her feet. Garrett and Carver sheathed their weapons and gathered around their mother.

"I think that's all of them," Carver said with relief.

"For the moment," Bethany added.

"Maker save us, we've lost it all," Leandra said sadly. "Everything your father and I built…"

"We're still alive; that's what's important" Garrett said, hoping it would help.

"Yes. You're right," Leandra said, appearing slightly less distressed at that fact.

"We should have run sooner! Why did we wait so long?" she asked, looking accusingly at Carver.

"Why are you looking at me?" Carver asked, offended by the comment. "Garrett and I have been running since Ostagar!"

The family turned around towards the hissing of more Darkspawn behind them. The flames from Bethany's Fireball had grew and managed to keep the Darkspawn at bay for the moment.

"You two can argue about this later," Garrett said. "Looks like we're going have to keep running."

"Please, listen to your brother," Leandra said to the arguing fraternal twins.

"Then let's go. Lead on" Carver said to Garrett with that usually hint of envy that was not lost on Garrett. Were it not for the current situation, the eldest Hawke sibling would have rolled his eyes at his younger brother, so instead he lead his family further through the hills away from their former home.

They came across another small group of Darkspawn, but the proved very little challenge for the Hawke family. Garrett and Carver both knew that there was most likely more Darkspawn up ahead since they tended to travel together in droves. The family resumed their fleeing, but it wasn't long before Bethany asked the question they had failed to consider since they left Lothering.

"Wait! Where are we going?" she asked bring the family to a stop.

"Away from the Darkspawn. Where else?" Carver answered as if it should have been obvious.

"And then where?" Bethany challenged. "We can't just wander aimlessly!"

"Wherever we go, it's important that we stay together," Garrett interjected. Now was not the time for his siblings to be arguing.

"We can go to Kirkwall," Leandra stated.

"Kirkwall? Are you sure?" Garrett asked. He knew that they had to escape the Darkspawn, but he hadn't considered actually leaving Fereldan to do it, especially to Kirkwall of all places.

"There's a lot of Templars in Kirkwall, mother," Bethany pointed out. She clearly wasn't fond of the idea either. Avoiding the Templars in Lothering had been challenging enough. Going to a city that was practically crawling with their Order could not possibly end well.

"I know that, but we still have family there- and an estate," Leandra said.

Bethany sighed. Her mother had a good point. They had lost everything they ever had in Lothering. They had no money, no home, or any other possessions. At least in Kirkwall they had a family home and a relative that would take care of them.

"Then we need to get Gwaren and take ship," she conceded.

"If we survive that long," Carver said cynically. "I'll just be happy to get out of here."

They set off once again, but it wasn't long before they ran into more Darkspawn.

Carver was the first one that charged into battle, using his greatsword to sunder any Darkspawn unfortunate enough to be in its path. Garrett used his daggers in tandem to defend and attack the Darkspawn. Bethany used her magic to burn or freeze her attackers and when they got too close she cracked their skulls with the blunt ends of her staff.

After killing yet another Darkspawn, Garrett looked to the side to see the other half of the group of Darkspawn surrounding a man a woman several yards away.

The woman had ginger hair and well-toned body- an obvious woman warrior. She swung her longsword with perfect form and gave no quarter to the Darkspawn. The man fighting beside her fought with a sword and shield, but Garrett recognized the design on the shield and the suit armor he wore. The man was a Templar.

The woman swung her sword upward from the right to parry a downward strike from a Darkspawn blade and then swung it upward from the left and slashed the Darkspawn deeply across the chest. The Templar used his shield to block a strike from a Darkspawn and then used it to knock the blade away before slashing his sword horizontally beneath the Darkspawn's chest plate. He was brought to his knees by a Darkspawn had snuck up behind him and slashed him across the back. The Templar dropped his shield and stumbled back against a boulder defenseless. The Darkspawn was about to deliver the killing blow when he was tackled to the ground by the woman. She slammed her fist into the creature's face twice before reaching for her sword.

"You will not have him!" she stated angrily as she pressed her blade against the Darkspawn's throat and successfully decapitated it.

She then picked up the Templar's shield and ran to him to help him stand.

"They will not have you!" she said with conviction before she and the Templar faced the Darkspawn once more. "Not while I'm here!"

The Darkspawn charged on them and the pair prepared to defend themselves against the greater numbers.

Garrett ran up behind the one of Darkspawn and slit its throat. Carver ran past him and thrust his blade into another Darkspawn. The woman and her Templar companion appeared surprised but quickly got over it and joined the newcomers in slaying the Darkspawn. The woman slammed her shield against one the creature's faces, disorienting it and then following up with a stab to its stomach. Bethany froze a Darkspawn that was about to attack Carver and he slammed his sword pommel into the frozen creature with great force causing it to shatter. Garrett blocked a blow from another Darkspawn with one of his daggers and spun the other in his hand so it faced inwards and the jammed the blade into the Darkspawn's neck. Bethany set the last two ablaze with her Fireball leaving the group victorious.

With Darkspawn defeated, the woman tended to her Templar companion.

"Stop squirming, Wesley. You'll make it worse," she chided as she gently tried to keep him steady.

The Templar faced the Hawke's and, as was expected of member of his Order, the first thing he took notice of was Bethany's staff.

"Apostate! Keep your distance!" he said with a glare, his hand reaching for his sword once more.

"Well, the Maker has a sense of humor," Bethany said sardonically. "Darkspawn and now a Templar. I thought they all abandoned Lothering."

"The 'spawn are clear in their intent, but a mage is always unknown," the Templar, Wesley, stated matter-of-factly. "The Order dictates…"

"Wesley…" the woman chided. She clearly thought that this was not the best time for him to be concerned about apostates.

"That woman is an apostate," he pointed out to the woman beside him. "The Order dictates…" he began again as he made a move towards Bethany, but was stopped by Garrett. The two glared daggers at each other. Garrett, fully prepared to strike the Templar down if he so much as laid a hand on his sister and Wesley, ready to fight Garrett off if he kept him from performing his holy duty.

"Dear, they saved us. The Maker understands," the redhead said, trying to ease the tension.

Wesley seemed to consider her words for a few moments before his gaze on the Hawke family softened somewhat.

"Of course," he conceded.

"I am Aveline Valllen," the woman said. "This is my husband, Ser Wesley. We can hate each when we're safe from the horde."

"A rather strange time to be hunting apostates, don't you think? His fellow knights left with the Chantry priests," Garrett stated. When he and Carver arrived in Lothering, the Templars were already gone.

"I was traveling to Denerim on business for the Order," Wesley explained, "but I had to turn south when I heard of Ostagar."

"Bad luck- and judgment- brought us together here before the attack," Aveline said.

"The nice Templar has been convinced to postpone his hunt for illegal mages. So let's not dwell on it shall we," Bethany said, clearly wanting to get away from Wesley as soon as possible.

"Wise girl," Aveline commented.

Garrett nodded in agreement; the Darkspawn were the prime concern and they would need all the help they could get to escape the horde.

"How bad is that wound? Can you fight?" he asked Wesley.

"I think my sword arm's a loss, even with healing," Wesley said sadly.

"Then you will have mine. As always," Aveline said with a smile before turning back to the Hawke family.

"For now, we move with you. North is cut off. We barely escaped the main body of the horde."

"Then we're trapped!" Carver said in frustration. The Wilds are to the south! That's no way out!"

"We're not taking are chances with the main body of the horde," Garrett said as he continued down the path. "We go south."

"Are you mad?" Carver asked, placing on hand on his brother's shoulder. "You want to go towards more Darkspawn!"

"We don't have a whole lot of options, Carver," Garrett said patiently. "There are fewer Darkspawn in the south; it's the lesser of two evils."

"You're leading us into the lion's den!" Carver said angrily.

"I'm trying to get us to Gwaren!" Garrett said, trying to keep his temper in check. "Would you have us travel north farther away from our destination and into the lion's mouth?"

"Stop it you two!" Leandra demanded. "You're acting like children!"

Carver glared at his brother once more before shaking his head in anger.

"Fine! We'll follow him like always!"

Garrett let out a sigh of frustration and continued to lead the group along the cliff path.

They encountered several more straggling Darkspawn along the way, but with the inclusion of Aveline, the Hawkes managed to defeat them with relative ease. They had some trouble with the next group that included a Darkspawn Emissary, but with the help of Bethany's ranged magic and Garrett's speed, it was dispatched with minimal injury to the group. They managed to find a few health poultices on the bloody bodies of some unfortunates that had not been able to escape the Darkspawn.

After the battle the group walked up the path that led to a small clearing against a small rocky hill. The area was adorned with several wooden spikes that had several human heads pierced through them. They had to stop to give Leandra a moment to breathe once she saw the skulls, but then they were once again on the move.

After a few seconds, the party started to feel small tremors in the earth. They small tremors soon became larger within seconds and small cloud of dust began to appear on the path in front of them. Soon a massive horned figure came into view.

The creature had sickly grey skin, and a dark grey hide. It wore black armor and had massive dark horns that were made for the sole purpose of goring. Carver and Garrett recognized it as an ogre, the largest and most fearsome soldier of the Darkspawn horde.

The creature charged past the group, who dove out of the way in order to avoid getting stomped, and then it skidded to a halt. It let out a vicious roar and then set its sights on Leandra. Carver ran in front of her, his greatsword already in hand.

"You soulless bastards!" he shouted angrily. He had had it with these Darkspawn threatening his family. He would stand for it no longer.

The ogre reached out for Carver and the young man swung his sword as hard as he could against the monster's armored arm. The ogre reared its hand back in pain and roared angrily at Carver. It lashed at him with his its other hand and hefted Carver up into the air before slamming him hard into the ground several times. It then tossed Carver aside, a bloody, broken, mess.

"Carver!" Leandra shouted, as she ran to her son's side.

Garrett looked towards his brother's body and then at the ogre. The thing stared back at him and roared loudly. Garrett glared at it and grabbed his daggers. With a battle cry he charged at the monster. The ogre slammed its giant fists into the ground causing a massive quake that made Garrett lose his balance and fall to the ground. It reared its fist back and prepared to crush Garrett. Bethany stopped it by launching a fireball into its face. The ogre stumbled back in roared in pain before setting its sights on Bethany this time. The mage launched another fireball into the Ogre's face. The attack only served to anger the monster further and it launched itself at Bethany, its deadly horns ready to skewer her. Aveline grabbed Bethany and dove out the ogre's path. The red quickly pulled herself up from the ground and ran at the ogre with her sword reared back for a thrust. She drove the blade deeply into the back of the giant's knee. The ogre fell to the ground howling in pain before swatting Aveline away. She was flung a few yards back and fell to the ground with a pained shriek, but she wa otherwise alive. The ogre struggled to stand with the sword in its leg, but ignored and turned on Bethany once again. She pointed her staff towards the monster's foot and froze it to the ground. Garrett took this opportunity to run up behind the ogre and jump onto its back. The ogre tried to throw Garrett off, but he managed to avoid getting thrown off by digging his dagger into its back. He reached the ogre's neck and jammed the dagger into its throat over and over again until it fell to the ground. It let out one last defiant roar before all life left it.

Garrett jumped off the ogre's body and helped his sister to her feet. They ran towards Wesley and Aveline, the latter of which was nursing a couple of broke ribs from the ogre's backhand. They made their way towards Leandra and Carver's body.

"Carver, wake up! The battle's over. We're fine!" she said as she gently shook her son's body. Carver wasn't breathing.

"I'm sorry, mistress" Aveline said, her tone soft. "Your son is gone."

"No! These things will not take Carver!" she cried.

"He sacrificed his life to save you," Garrett said, placing a comforting hand on his mother's shoulder. She smacked it away.

"I don't want a hero! I want my son!" she shouted angrily. "How could you let him charge off like that? Your little brother! My little boy!"

Garrett hung his head in shame. His mother was right. Carver was always going on about proving himself and how he was always trapped in his older brother's shadow. He should have known Carver would do something foolish.

"Mother, we can't stay here," Bethany pointed out, while fighting back tears. "Carver wouldn't want his sacrifice to be meaningless."

"Allow me to commend your son's soul to the Maker, mistress," Wesley said sympathetically and began his eulogy.

"Ashes we were and ashes we become. Maker, give this young man a place at your side. Let us take comfort in the peace he has found in eternity."

Leandra wiped her tears and kissed her dead son's forehead. "I will never forget you, Carver."

"The best we can do for him now is get out of here alive," Garrett said, offering his hand to his mother. She turned away from him and stood up on her own.

Garrett didn't blame her for hating him. He was the oldest. With his father gone, it fell to him to protect the family and when he brother needed him most, he failed. The only thing he could do now was get his mother and sister to Kirkwall safely. Unfortunately, that window seemed to have closed.

"Flames! We're too late," Aveline said bitterly as she drew her blade once more.

The Darkspawn had caught up to them and appeared in every direction in greater numbers than before. Garrett drew his daggers and Bethany stayed close to Leandra and Wesley.

The three of them fought hard, but no matter how many they defeated, more would appear to take the places of the ones that failed. Soon the group was surrounded and any chance of coming out alive had dropped to zero.

Garrett couldn't help be feel like a completely failure. He had failed Carver and now he would fail the rest of his family. It seemed he would be joining both Carver and his father at the Maker's side very soon.

Suddenly he heard a loud growl from behind him. He turned around to see a giant red colored rock on top of the hill. Upon closer inspection, Garrett concluded they appeared to be wings. His theory was proven correct when they unfurled to reveal a very large and very fierce looking dragon. The great reptile had blood red scales and black horns almost as fearsome as an Ogre's. Based on it it's size, Garrett realized that it must have been a High Dragon.

It would have been impressive if it weren't so terrifying. Now he had the Darkspawn in front and a dragon in back. Now he was sure it was over.

The dragon let out a piercing shriek that caused Garrett and the others to hold the ears in pain. The it flapped its giant wings once before diving from the hilltop and straight for them. It opened its maw and fire spewed out like rushing water. Garrett and the others dove to the ground out of the fire's path. He looked up from the ground and witnessed a very peculiar sight. The dragon and flew straight towards the Darkspawn and proceeded to incinerate them. It flew back around to make a second run at the Darkspawn. This time it grabbed one of the Darkspawn in its mouth and took it into the air with it, chewing it once before spitting out of its mouth and sending it plummeting back to the ground. The dragon turned around and, once again, dove at the Darkspawn. This time it landed on the ground and burned the rest of the now-fleeing Darkspawn and swatted at the ones behind it with its mighty spiked tail. One Darkspawn was to slow to get away and found itself being crushed in the dragon's powerful claws. It then turned its attention to the Hawke's and their two companions who stared back with a mixture of awe and fear.

An even stranger thing happened then. The dragon began to glow a bright golden color and then started to shrink. The flow became brighter and the Hawke's had to shield their eyes. When the light had dimmed, they looked to see that the dragon was gone and in its place was a human.

The human appeared to be an aged woman with long pure white hair. Her hair was also put up in the oddest fashion. Garrett was no expert, but he was sure most girls never tied their hair up into four horn-like knots or adorned their head with a steel headdress. Her outfit was even stranger. She wore a blood red dress that appeared to be made of scales that reveal a small portion of her chest just above her breasts, with a large tail in the back that billowed in the wind behind her and black feathered pauldrons lining her shoulders. Her arms and legs were fully armored in very dark and sinister looking armor.

She sauntered her way over to the group through the flames that the dragon had just used to scorch the Darkspawn. She dragged one of them in her hand, which was now nothing more than a crushed corpse. She looked over the group with piercing gold eyes and a small smirk crossed her features.

"Well, well… what have we here?" she asked.

Garrett slowly walked over to her, wary of any sudden attacks she might make with Bethany close behind him. They heard the sound of clanking armor and turned the heads back to see Wesley stumbling to the ground, looking much worse than he had before.

"It used to be we never got visitors to the Wilds," the woman stated, gaining back the attention of Garrett and Bethany, "but now it seems they arrive in hordes!"

Garrett thought for a moment of how to respond. He didn't want to anger this clearly dangerous woman so he thought it would be best to appear grateful.

"Thank you for help," he said. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't arrived."

"I do! You would have perished You still may," she said as a matter-of-factly before turning around and walking away. "If you wish to flee the Darkspawn, you should know that you're heading in the wrong direction."

"Wait! You can't just leave us here!" Bethany stated. The woman stopped and turned her head to look back at Bethany.

"Can I not?" she asked. "I spotted a most curious sight: a mighty ogre, vanquished! Who could perform such a feat? But now my curiosity is sated and you are safe… for the moment. Is that not enough?"

"We can't get past the Darkspawn on our own," Garrett admitted.

"They are everywhere, or soon will be. Where is it you plan to run to, hmm?" the woman asked curiously.

"We need to get to Kirkwall- in the Free Marches," Bethany answered.

"Kirkwall," the woman asked in surprise. "My, but that is quite the voyage you plan. Your king will not miss you, hmm?"

"I imagine it's hard for the dead to miss anyone," Garrett responded. "All we care about now is getting to Kirkwall safely."

"I see. Hurtled into the chaos you fight… and the world shall shake before you," she said, mostly to herself it seemed.

Garrett raised a brow at her remark and watched her curiously as she turned and started off into the distance seeming contemplative.

"Is it fate or chance? I can never decide," he heard her mutter to herself. After a few seconds of thought, she turned back to the party. "It appears fortune smiles on both of us today. I may be able to help you yet."

"Based on your sudden change of mind, I'm guessing there's a catch," Garrett said wryly. The woman let an amused chuckle.

"There's always a catch! Life is a catch! I suggest you catch it while you can!"

"Maybe we shouldn't trust her," Bethany whispered to her brother. "I don't even know what she is."

"I know what she is," Aveline exclaimed. "The Witch of the Wilds."

"Some call me that," the woman said with a shrug. "Also Flemeth, Asha' bellanar, an "old hag who talks too much". Does it matter? I offer you this: I will get your group past the horde in exchange for a simple delivery to a place not far out of your way. Would you do this for a "Witch of the Wilds"?"

Garrett thought about her offer for a moment. It was definitely promising; a chance for him and his family to get past the Darkspawn safely. But he couldn't make a decision like this without the consent of everyone else.

"Should we trust her?" he asked them.

"Wesley is injured. We'll never escape the Darkspawn," Aveline stated as she tended to her husband, who was now convulsing and pale.

"If you need to, leave me behind," he said through gasps of pain.

"No! I said I would drag you out of here if I had to and I meant it!" she exclaimed.

"It seems, we don't have a choice," Garrett said.

"We never do," Flemeth replied cryptically. "There is a clan of Dalish elves near the city of Kirkwall. Deliver this amulet to their Keeper, Marethari."

She then handed Garrett an amulet. There was nothing special about it really. It was plain gold encrusted amulet with a small ruby in the center. After looking the object over, he placed it in his coin purse.

"Do as she asks with," Flemeth continued, "and any debt between us is paid in full. Before I take you anywhere, however, there is another matter…" she said turning her gaze on Wesley, who was now hacking up blood.

Aveline followed Flemeth's gaze and immediately was put on the defensive.

"No! Leave him alone," she said angrily.

"What has been done to your man is within his blood already," Flemeth explained.

"You lie!"

"She's right, Aveline. I can feel the corruption inside of me," Wesley gasped.

Garrett knew of what he spoke of. He had heard stories of the Darkspawn from the other men at Ostagar. The blood of the Darkspawn was poisonous. If you got even the smallest drop in an opened wound, it would slowly and painfully kill you.

"Is there anything that can be done?" he asked Flemeth.

"The only cure I know of is to become a Grey Warden," she responded.

"And they all died at Ostagar," Garrett said with a frustrated sigh.

"Not all, but the last are now beyond your reach," she said knowingly.

"Aveline, listen to me!" Wesley tried again. Aveline knelt beside him and grasped his hand.

"You can't ask me to do this! I won't!" she said, and Garrett could tell she was fighting back tears.

"Please," Wesley begged. "The corruption is slow death. I can't…"

Garrett could see that Aveline was having a hard time making a decision. Killing a loved one out of mercy was something he never could begin to understand and hopefully would never have to.

"He's your husband, Aveline," Garrett said softly. "Only you can decide his fate."

Aveline looked to Garrett with tears welling up in her eyes and nodded. Garrett knew she understood what had to be done.

"Be strong, my love," Wesley whispered sadly. He removed a dagger from his belt and handed it into his wife's shaky hands.

Aveline removed her husband's chest plate and placed the dagger over his heart. With one final look into her husband's eyes, she plunged the dagger into his chest. Wesley let out one final gasp before the life left his eyes. Aveline bit back a sob and removed the dagger from Wesley's chest. She placed her fingers over Wesley's eyelids and slowly closed them. She stood up away from her husband, trying her best not to break down in front of everyone when Flemeth spoke up from behind her.

"Without an end, there can be no peace," she said. "It gets no easier. Your struggles have only just begun."

* * *

"So Flemeth truly was involved?" Cassandra asked.

"Seems that way," Garrett answered.

"I assume that you now have some idea as to what she is."

"I've read what there is to know about her, but I still suspect that she is more than what she seems… much more. If I knew then what I know now, I might have never have brought the amulet to the Dalish."

"What did you think the amulet was?"

"I didn't know what it was and I didn't care at the time, but… after what happened on Sundermount, I got the feeling that I might have made a grave mistake."

"You probably did," Cassandra said. "I'm curious: you haven't seen her in seven years. What do you think she is planning?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if she planned this madness."

"I am inclined to agree with you," Cassandra said with a nod. "Continue."

* * *

**Hopefully this chapter gave you an idea of how this story will be formatted. It'll be much the same as the way Varric told it in the game.**

**This chapter took a while to write because I stopped to reconsider the fighting style for Garrett. My original intent was to have him as a rogue, but then I watched the "Destiny" trailer and though it would be cooler to have him as a mage. Then I remembered the games rules that a mage Hawke winds up with Carver for a companion and I absolutely hated having Carver around; he was such an ass! And to make it worse, the bastard actually becomes a Templar is you leave him home during the Deep Roads Expedition! True I could have made it so Bethany survived even though Hawke was a mage, but I realized that there were enough mages in your party already and I didn't want to have to write fight scenes for each of them and have them all be the same. So I decided to keep Hawke a rogue.**

**I hope the fight scenes in this story weren't terrible. I'm afraid writing out fights is my biggest weakness.**

**The next chapter should be up soon, provided school doesn't keep me too busy, until then, see y'all next time!**

**Press that review button down there. Show me some love!  
**


	3. City of Chains

**Author's Note:**** Now let me just say that a couple of reviewers, one of which wrote a very good Dragon Age story that I had the pleasure of reading- his name is Wyl by the way. Look his story up, it's a great read-, have pointed something very important about my last chapter. I know the last chapter was pretty much a word-for-word copy of the first twenty or so minutes of the game, but honestly, I was in such a rush to get the chapter out, that I kinda didn't want to take the time to write it my way. I won't make that mistake again. I will try my hardest to make this story as original as possible while still staying true to the game. However, there are some dialogues that I will not change, mostly because I think they're fine the way they are, like most of the Arishok's script; that's something I dare not tamper with.**

**Anyway, moving on…**

**Disclaimer~ As stated before I don't own Dragon Age II, that pleasure belongs to Bioware.**

_Flemeth kept her word and got us past the Darkspawn safely. Lucky for us, the last ship in Gwaren hadn't left yet. There was just enough room myself, my sister and mother, and Aveline. We spent two weeks on that ship packed in with other Fereldan's like rats. Between the storms and the lack of food, I almost thought we wouldn't make it, but soon enough we saw it: the City of Chains. I knew of the stories; how it was owned by Tevinters, how it used to be crawling with slaves, which is why I was so hesitant to go there. Unfortunately, we had no options. Past those cliffs and rocks, I saw it: the Gallows. You know, it's ironic- the place where this all started is also the place where it all ended._

* * *

Garrett supposed he should have been grateful to see land after two weeks locked up on a ship with over four dozen other people, but Kirkwall looked anything but welcoming. From the small windows on the ship, he could see the rocky cliffs and beyond that a large ominous building. Golden statues soon came into view; they were molded into gaunt men bonded in chains and weeping. Definitely not a friendly place.

He sat back in his spot against the wall within the ship and waited patiently for it to dock. On his left sat Aveline who kept her vigil. Many of the people on board were distressed and angry due to the long voyage and several fights had broken out since the ship left Fereldan. After seeing the way she handled the Darkspawn, Garrett pitied anyone onboard that might have picked a fight with her.

To Garrett's right sat Bethany and on her right sat their mother. Both of them were sleeping peacefully despite the rocking of the ship. Bethany was the least happy about going to Kirkwall. As soon as they took ship, she immediately began worrying about how she would avoid detection from the numerous Templars in the city. In Lothering all they had to do was make sure she stayed inside their house for most of the daylight hours. She had been miserable, but also out of the Circle. At least in Kirkwall she would be able to stay home in a manor, if what their mother said was true.

Leandra had barely spoken to Garrett since the voyage started. Garrett knew she was still angry about what happened to Carver and most likely held him responsible. He didn't really blame her. He believed that Carver's death was mostly his fault. He could only hope she'd forgive him in time.

Within the hour, the ship docked in the port. Everyone filed out, glad to be on dry land after weeks at sea. After waking up his mother and sister, Garrett led his family off the ship and into the small port area. They were surprised to see that the port was almost completely occupied by other refugees.

"Doesn't seem like they're letting anyone into the city," Aveline pointed out.

"What? But they have to let us in!" Leandra stated. "They can't just let us keep us all here!"

"Considering how people in the Free Marches feel about Fereldan, this doesn't surprise me," Garrett said.

"They would throw us all to the wolves!" Aveline spat.

"My family has always been highly regarded in Kirkwall," Leandra said. "We have to find Gamlen; he's the one who can get us in I'm sure of it!"

"Let's hope he received your letter," Bethany said.

"With all this chaos, I doubt it," Garrett said as he led his family towards the crowd.

They navigated through the shouting Fereldans and came to the front of the mob. He was about to carry on into the entrance that led to place he remembered being called the Gallows, when he was stopped by man dressed in steel armor adorned with bright orange cloths. Garrett assumed he was the apart of the city guard.

"Get back to the crowd you lot!" he ordered, clearly annoyed with the crowd formed in front of him. "Trying to bully your way through won't get you into Kirkwall any faster!"

"But you _do _intend to let us in?" Aveline asked, but there was a hint of threat hidden in the question. No wanted to be told they couldn't get into the city after spending two weeks packed into a ship with several dozen other people.

"We got enough poor here in Kirkwall," he scoffed. "The last thing we need is a bunch of unwashed Fereldans adding to the heap!"

Garrett was not in the mood for this.

"Look, we just spent weeks on that ship," he said testily, while gesturing to said vessel. "If you don't plan on being useful: fine. Just point me to someone in charge I can speak with."

The guard curled his lip in disgust a Garrett's attitude.

"Bloody arrogant Fereldan dog!" he muttered. "Fine! You want to get in, talk to Captain Ewald. I'm just here to keep you refuse from climbing the walls."

Garrett glared at the guard and brushed past him with his family and Aveline following close behind.

They walked through the halls and were shocked at how many more refugees they found. Some were even being forced back to the dock area by guards. Garrett worried that there was truly no room left in the city and if there was, what did that mean for his family?

Finally the exited the refugee-filled hallways and entered into a grand courtyard. Most of the walls were adorned with the same statues of slaves that were seen along the cliffs leading into Kirkwall. A few merchant stalls could be seen numerous corners of the courtyard. Some Fereldans were hawking their possessions for the coin they thought would get them into the city, but they only walked away with handful of coppers. Garrett was just thankful that he had family in the city because he came to Kirkwall with his daggers and clothes on his back. They hadn't spotted any Templars yet and for that Garrett was grateful. The last thing his family needed right now was to be concerned over Templar detection.

He spotted a man wearing the same uniform as the guard from earlier, only his looked much more defined- and indication of a high rank. He was surrounded by several armored men who were shouting and arguing with him about gaining entrance into the city.

"Aveline, does their armor look familiar to you?" Garrett asked.

"It does. They're served under the Third Company at Ostagar," she said angrily.

"And the Third Company was shorthanded before the attack weren't they?"

"Yes," she said through gritted teeth.

"I think we found the deserters," Garrett, his tone just as angry as Aveline's as he walked towards the guard.

"You flaming blighter! Let us into the city!" one of the deserters shouted. "We're not staying in this pit!"

"Then get back on your ship and leave!" the guard replied. "Kirkwall has no more room for refugees."

"The ship's already gone! We spent good coin to get here!"

"And you think you're the only one?" the guard asked evenly. "There's no more room! The city is full!"

"Would you let traitors into your city?" Garrett asked as he neared the guard.

"Traitors? What do you mean, stranger?" he asked.

"These men along with myself and my friend here," he said began, gesturing to Aveline, "served under King Cailan. The only difference is these men deserted the King's army before the attack even started! They didn't stay long enough to watch their countrymen die at the hands of the Darkspawn!"

"Mind your own business, stranger!" one of the deserters shouted. "We were here first you're not getting in the city before us!"

"None of you are getting in!" the guard declared in frustration.

"But we have family here!" Bethany stated.

"Do you know how many times I've heard that since you Fereldans started coming in? We'll find some ships to take you back home- eventually. Until then, you all stay here," the guard said with finality.

"That's it!" one of the deserters shouted with rage. "To arms, boys; we're cutting our way through!"

Their leader drew his sword and prepared to run the guard through, but was stopped by one Garrett's daggers embedding itself in his gut. He let out a gasp and dropped his weapon before Garrett removed his dagger and let the deserter's body fall to the ground.

"Kill 'im!" one his men shouted and the rest of them drew their weapons.

Two of them charged at Garrett, with weapons raised to cut him down. Garrett ducked under the first swing from the right and quickly got behind the deserter and stabbed him in the back of the neck. The second deserter poised to strike Garrett from behind, but was stopped by Aveline's shield. She drew he sword and thrust it under her shield and into the deserter's side, right into his liver. One of the deserters drew his crossbow and aimed it Aveline, but Garrett was faster. He reached for his second dagger that was still sheathed to his back and threw it at him. The dagger embedded itself in its target's head between the eyes.

The only deserter left threw down his weapons and dropped to his knees. He held his hands up in fear at the two superior warriors before him.

"P-Please, ser! Don't kill me!" he begged

"Give me reason not to!" Garrett growled.

"I'm sorry, I fled the army before the battle!" he cried. "I just wanted to see my family again."

"And yet I don't see them here with you," Garrett pointed out.

"I...I…no, but…" he stammered.

"You ran like coward. You abandoned your king and country!" Garrett shouted.

"What would have been the point?" the man asked. "We couldn't defeat the Darkspawn! Why should we fight a battle we had no chance of winning?"

"I should kill you right now," Garrett breathed out dangerously. "But you aren't even worth it. Get out of here!"

The man didn't need to be told twice. He didn't even bother to pick up his weapons as he ran back to the docks.

"Coward," Aveline said with disgust.

"Well this is a fine mess you've made," the guard said with an annoyed sigh. "But still, thank you for getting rid of them."

"Captain Ewald, are you alright?" another one of the guards asked. "We heard the commotion. What happened?"

"I'm fine, no thanks to you," Ewald said with a scowl. "This stranger saved my life from these lowlifes. Rally the men; I don't want another incident like this happening again."

"Yes sir!" the guardsman said before taking off.

"And bring someone to clean this mess up!" Ewald shouted to the fleeing guard before turning back to Garrett who was busy pulling his dagger from the skull of the dead deserter.

"I thank you for your assistance, but sadly I still can't get you into the city," Ewald said.

"Please, messere," Leandra begged. "My brother Gamlen Amell is expecting us the city."

"Gamlen?" Ewald asked in surprise. "I know that name."

"He's a nobleman in the city. My family has an estate," Leandra continued.

"Nobleman?" Ewald scoffed. "The Gamlen I know is anything, but noble, but I suppose I'll find him for you; it's the least I can do for you since you save my life."

"Thank you," Garrett replied.

Ewald nodded and headed towards the docks.

* * *

"Three days…" Aveline said as she paced back and forth in the Gallows courtyard. "This waiting has to end!"

The Hawke family was resting against the wall a few feet away from her. It had indeed been three full days since Captain Ewald left for the city to find Gamlen. They hoped it wouldn't be much longer they had used what little money they had left to buy breakfast earlier that morning.

"I'm sure it won't be longer," Leandra said optimistically. "Gamlen must still be looking for us!"

"And if he's not?" Aveline asked.

"Wait, there's Ewald," Garrett spoke up.

It was true. Captain Ewald walked into the Gallows courtyard with someone following close behind him. The man, slightly older looking then Leandra, looked at Garrett's mother and smiled.

"Leandra! Damn girl, the years have not been kind to you!" he said with mirth.

"Gamlen!" Leandra said as she happily embraced her elder brother.

"Let me say up front, I wasn't expecting all this when I received your letter," Gamlen said after Leandra released him. "The last thing I expected was you coming to Kirkwall to flee the Blight of all things. I figured Fereldan was your home now."

"We came too late," Leandra said sadly. "My poor Carver didn't make, Andraste guide him."

"Oh, Maker save me," Gamlen muttered with a sigh. "Leandra don't bring this on me now. I don't even know if I can get you all in."

"But you can get our mother in, right?" Garrett asked.

"No, Garrett!" Leandra snapped. "We're getting in together!"

"Like I said, I don't know if I can get you in," Gamlen repeated. "I had hoped to grease a few palms, but with the Knight-Commander cracking down, we'll need more grease."

"But what about the estate?" Leandra asked curiously. "Father must have left something when he died."

"Right, uh about the estate, Leandra…"

"Oh no…" Garrett groaned. He had a feeling this was too good to be true.

"What? What happened to the estate, Gamlen?" Leandra asked, growing worried.

"It's…gone. It's to settle a debt," Gamlen admitted. "I've been meaning to write you."

"Then there's no hope," Leandra said crestfallen.

"Not quite," Gamlen said quickly. "I know some people who might be able to help you get in…if you're not too delicate about the company you keep."

"I was told our family was wealthy. Why can't _you_ help us get in?" Garrett asked. He had never met his uncle before, but now he was certainly suspicious of him.

"I _am_ helping!" Gamlen snapped. "I've got two offers of work for people who have the coin to get you all in."

"I still can't believe you sold the estate, Gamlen," said a very disappointed Leandra. "How could you?"

"Well I wasn't expected you blasted family to show up in Kirkwall anytime soon," Gamlen said in defense. "I've got a nice place in Lowtown. Everything will work out, you'll see!"

Garrett looked to Bethany for her opinion. She shrugged. They didn't have any real options. They were unfamiliar with the Free Marches and they didn't know anyone other than Gamlen.

"Fine, uncle, just tell us what to do," Garrett said reluctantly.

"I found some people who are may be willing to pay your way into the city before I came here," Gamlen explained. "They should have arrived be here right now."

"And…?" Garrett asked sensing a catch.

"The problem is… you and your sister have to work off the debt… for a year," Gamlen admitted.

"A year!" Leandra said in shock.

"It was the best I could do! You won't find a deal better than this."

Garrett sighed in frustration.

"Who are these contacts of yours?" he asked in an unenthused tone.

"Merran runs the Red Iron mercenary company. He needs some new recruits. He should be by the docks," Gamlen explained. "Athenril… I suppose you might call her a smuggler. She should be here in the courtyard. Both of them have the money to help you. Just find one of them and tell them I sent you."

"I don't know about this, Gamlen," Leandra said. She didn't like the idea of selling her children into servitude one bit.

"It's a lot of coin, Leandra. Don't expect our name to carry the kind of weight it used to."

"And what of me?" Aveline asked. "I won't have any debts incurred on my behalf."

"Nonsense! You've fought just as hard to get here as the rest us. You're coming too," Leandra stated.

"I…suppose I can't turn down such kindness. Thank you," she said gratefully.

"I'll talk to your contacts , uncle. Let's go Bethany," Garrett said before heading off.

"Who are we going to work for?" Bethany asked.

"I think the mercenaries would be our best bet. At least there I can make good use of my skills," Garrett explained.

"Forgive me for saying so, Garrett, but your uncle doesn't seem like a very savory character," Aveline admitted.

"Oh good, I thought it was just me that was thinking it," Garrett responded with a chuckle.

He found the one Gamlen had called Merran, waiting by the docks surrounded by a couple of men. Garrett supposed their name stemmed from the blood red armor they wore.

"Are you Merran?" Garrett asked.

"That depends. Are you Hawke?"

"Yes, _we _are," Bethany said.

"Ah, I see Gamlen wasn't lying about your sister being a mage," Merran said as he eyed the staff strapped to Bethany's back. "Your uncle told me you're quite the warrior. Was he telling the truth?"

"If you can get my family into city, I'll prove it to you," Garrett said.

"Alright, here the job: a noble bastard named Friedrich is here in the Gallows. Gave us bad info that almost got my men killed. He's hiding here, waiting for a ship to get him out of Kirkwall. He sees us coming, he'll run for sure, but he doesn't know you. Go kill him and his men. We'll make sure no asks why. Do this for us and we'll get you into the city and make sure your sister stays a secret from the Templars for the year you'll be working for us."

"You got a deal," Garrett responded.

The job proved to be easy enough. Garrett, Bethany and Aveline found Friedrich hiding near the Gallows courtyard. Garrett allowed Friedrich a chance to plead his case before he killed him. All he said was that it was a misunderstanding and that Merran was taking things to personally. He offered Garrett a bribe, but it wasn't enough to get Garrett's family and he couldn't offer the protection for Bethany against the Templars like Merran could. When Garrett declined, Friedrich sicked his men on Garrett. With the combined fighting skill of Garrett and Aveline and some subtle magic from Bethany, Merran's men provided almost no challenge. Friedrich then tried to kill Garrett himself. This made it a matter of self-defense and made Garrett feel less guilty about sticking a dagger in his neck. With his job done, Garrett returned to Merran who happily welcomed him and his sister into the Red Irons. They returned to Leandra and Gamlen who were waiting by a ship that would take them to the city.

"You must have made a good impression on Merran, boy, because one of his men just handed us the money we need," Gamlen said with a smile as he held up a small sack that jingled with sound of coins clanking together.

"Garrett, what happened? You're covered in blood?" Leandra asked with worry.

"It's not mine, don't worry," Garrett said dismissively. He couldn't tell his mother that he just killed someone to get them into Kirkwall.

"That's right Leandra, he's a big lad and he can take himself," Gamlen commented. "What matters is that now you can get into the city."

"Finally," Bethany said in relief. "We have a home again."

"If only Carver were here," Leandra said with a sad sigh.

"And Wesley…" Aveline added.

"Well, for now let's just see what happens," Garrett said. "We have a long year ahead of us."

* * *

**Well what do you all think about this chapter? I tried to change it up a bit so it wasn't an exact copy of the game. I hope I did a good job this time.**

**My next update, hopefully, should be some time next week provided school doesn't keep me busy and I can update my other stories in time.**

**Til next time! Have a great weekend everyone!  
**


	4. Last Job

**Author's Note: Finally, here I am for Chapter Three! I'm sorry that it took so long! I won't bother you all with the details of my personal life, but suffice it to say, I had a lot of things keeping me busy. Now, about this chapter: one of my readers, Wyl, made a very solid point; the time skips in the game were not all that great. He suggested I fill the gaping hole that was Hawke's first year in Kirkwall instead of just jumping straight to the expedition to the Deep Roads. Hopefully you all like this chapter; I spent all night writing it!**

**Disclaimer~ Dragon Age II is the property of Bioware. Only any OC characters you see belong to me.**

* * *

_So, my first year in Kirkwall had begun. It was only months later that I heard word of the Hero of Fereldan defeating the Blight. We had thought we could return home then, but then we found out that Lothering had been completely destroyed and the lands were tainted by the Darkspawn. Kirkwall was our new home now. I spent the year paying off my debt to the Red Irons; it was rather productive year: the Quanri landing, the Templars cracking down on the mages, and the beginning of the blood magic epidemic. I learned quite few things during my time as a mercenary and became twice the warrior I was in Ferelden. It wasn't long until my name became very well-known in Kirkwall's underworld._

* * *

Four men were running through Lowtown in the dead of night. One of them was carrying a large satchel full sovereigns on his back. They weren't anything special; just some mid-ranked members of the Thieves' Guild looking to make a name for themselves by stealing from a noble family from Hightown. This was the information Garrett had been given by Meeran.

The day before, a noble's home in Hightown was robbed. No one knew who did it and the noble got sick of waiting for the city guard to find them. That was when he decided to contact the Red Iron. He promised them a sizable reward for recovering every coin that had been taken. Naturally, he wanted the best the Red Iron had to offer. Garrett definitely fit that description.

And that was how he found himself to be watching from the shadows of Lowtown as the thieves made off towards the docks with a very large sum of money.

He followed the thieves at a safe distance and stuck to any form of cover or any shadow large enough to conceal him while trying to stay as close as he could to them. Not that he needed to with all the noise they were making and few stalls they knocked over.

Garrett had managed to keep his presence hidden all the way to the docks and hid behind a pile of crates just a few yards from where the four thieves had led him. The men were waiting at the wharf for a small ship that Garrett could see coming up to meet them. Garrett decided now was the time to reveal himself.

Before the dinghy could set up a gangplank to the dock, Garrett reached for his belt and grabbed a combustion grenade. He tossed the grenade at the dinghy and the vessel almost immediately ignited. The thieves were shocked to find their means of escape slowly burning and immediately began to panic. Luckily, Garrett saw the main piloting the ship jump over board to avoid being burned alive. He stepped out from behind the crates and the thieves stopped their arguing to look at the intruder.

"Who the hell are you?" the one carrying the satchel demanded.

"Who I am is not important," Garrett said evenly. "Now, I suggest you drop the money and whatever weapons you might be carrying and we can all walk away from this amicably."

"What? Are you out of your mind?"

"I am quite sane actually," Garrett said, retaining his air of calm.

"Tell me who the hell you are, you damned blighter!" he demanded. Garrett only sighed.

"My name is Hawke."

The man's friends suddenly became stiff with fear.

"Oh shit, it's Hawke!" one shouted.

"We are so screwed!"

"Not if your friend hands over the money," Garrett pointed out.

"Just give him the money, Lyle!" one shouted desperately.

"Forget it!" Lyle shouted. "Do you know how much of a risk we took to get this amount of coin? I'm not letting one man take it away from us, not when we're so close to escaping!"

"Well, your means of escape is currently sinking into the harbor," Garrett stated while pointing to the burning dinghy which was indeed sinking.

"I'm not fighting Hawke for you!" another one shouted from behind him. "You're not paying me enough!"

Lyle seemed to be getting beyond frustrated and the mutinous behavior of his group was not helping. In a rage, he grabbed the knife on his belt and stabbed the man behind him in the stomach.

"Then you'll get nothing!" Lyle seethed before the man staggered backwards over the edge of the wharf and into the water.

"Holy shit, you killed him!" one of the remaining thieves shouted as Lyle rounded on him.

"That's right, and I'll kill you too! I'll kill all of you for this money!" Lyle rambled on in a rage. "No one's going to stop me! Not the you, not the Hawke, not-"

Lyle stopped rambling when he felt something sharp pierce his back. The sharp feeling was then quickly accompanied by a burning sensation and then, slowly, he started to feel numb and his breathing was beginning to slow. He dropped the satchel of sovereigns and fell to his knees. Lyle's companions stepped back in fear and confusion.

"Wh-What-?" he gasped. He reached for the area of his back where the pain was most prominent and felt something sharp protruding from between his shoulder blades.

"That knife in your back is coated with the venom from a giant wasp spider," Garrett explained. "I imagine you're finding it becoming increasingly difficult to breathe?"

No words escaped Lyle's mouth, only strained gasps.

"I'll take that as a yes," Garrett continued. "And by now you should start feeling numb and limp."

As if on cue, Lyle's body fell face first to the ground. He struggled to turn his to look at Hawke but the rigor had already set in and he was only able to see Garrett walk up to him through his peripherals.

"It shouldn't be long before your lungs completely cease to draw breath," he said calmly as he knelt beside Lyle. "Here's some food for thought in these final agonizing seconds you have left, Lyle: before you go to meet the Maker and receive His judgment, just remember that I gave you a chance to run."

A few weak gasps later, the life left Lyle's eyes.

Hawke stood and walked over Lyle's corpse and picked up the satchel. He then remembered the other two thieves and turned to see the staring at him with utter terror. They quickly threw whatever weapons were on their person and raised their hands in surrender.

"Get out here," Garrett said tersely.

The two didn't need to be told twice. In less than a second, they were running back to Lowtown.

Garrett took a moment to look at Lyle's lifeless body and allowed himself to feel a tiny sliver of remorse before heading back to Lowtown to meet Meeran.

It wasn't so much remorse for killing Lyle; he gave the fool a chance to walk away with his life and he refused to take it. It was the companion that Lyle had killed. Garrett was no stranger to death by any means, but killing in war and killing for money are two completely different things. In war you kill to defend your home and country and the people you love. As a mercenary, you kill for the simple reason to gain money regardless of whether or not the person you killed innocent or not. It made Garrett wish he was back in Ferelden serving under Cailan, not murdering people that had offended someone wealthy enough to want them dead. But as it was, he was stuck in Lowtown paying off his year-long debt to someone who didn't see people, only sums to be made.

Garrett had found Meeran in the hangman later that night. The usual smell of tobacco and booze filled his nostrils and the sound of men slurring their troubles away or trying to flirt with Nora, the barmaid was all too familiar after spending a full year in Kirkwall. Meeran and few of his men were waiting at a table in the corner off to the right furthest away from the bar.

"There you are!" Meeran said jovially as if he and Garrett were the best of friends. "Did you complete the job?"

"Here," Garrett said tossing the satchel onto the table haphazardly.

Meeran quickly checked the contents and after a few seconds, looked up at Garrett with a satisfied smirk.

"Well done, Hawke. Our employer should be pleased."

"Well that certainly makes my whole day," Garrett said sarcastically.

"Don't be like that, you should be happy!" Meeran said. "You completed the job successfully and today was your final day; your debt to me is paid off."

"Good," Garrett responded coldly and then turned towards the door.

"Hey wait!" Meeran got up from his table and caught up to Hawke. "No need to be cold. You did very well for me, you and that sister or yours. You've given a great boost to our reputation and soon more powerful players in Kirkwall will be asking for us."

"What do you want from me, Meeran?" Hawke asked impatiently.

"I want you to continue working for me," Meeran answered. "You'll receive a full payment like the rest of us and be able to put your skills to good use."

Meeran reached into the coin pouch on his belt and held out a single gold sovereign to Hawke.

"How about, Hawke?"

"Forget it!" Garrett said with a glare. "I'm grateful that you got us into the city, but my debt has been paid and I want nothing more to do with you, Meeran."

Meeran looked taken aback and his smirk was quickly replaced by a disappointed smile.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Hawke" he said as he placed the coin back in his pouch. "If you ever change your mind, you can always come find me."

"I'll keep that in mind," Garrett responded coolly before heading out the door.

* * *

The Lowtown streets were empty that night, aside from a few whores trying to make some money to any man that might pass by. Garrett enjoyed the peace and quiet; it gave him time to think. After a year of working for that heartless bastard, he was finally free. Unfortunately that freedom didn't mean much when he considered how his life in Lowtown would be now.

The Red Iron had kept their promise to keep Bethany's magic a secret from the Templars and they had taught Garrett many useful things, but beyond that they offered nothing else. Garrett was given no money for the jobs he did, for the people he killed, for any of times he had to put his life at risk. He and Bethany had been slaves for a whole year. Sure, they took an odd job here and there to help support their family, but most of the money they earned would end going to paying people in Lowtown to keep quiet about Bethany now. Garrett would have to find some way to come into some money soon lest his sister be condemned to a life in The Gallows.

Finally, he reached the hovel he was forced to call home. As he ascended the stairs, he looked up to see a familiar slobbering face come charging at him. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground being licked repeatedly on the face by rather happy mabari.

"Fang! Get off me! Bad dog!" Garrett shouted as the hound continued to shower him with slobbery love. The mabari then backed off upon hearing it's master's command and stood to the side with his tail wagging.

"He stood out here all night waiting for you," Garrett heard a familiar voice say. He looked up and saw Bethany sitting on the top step to their home.

"Did you?" Garrett asked curiously as he stood and dusted himself off.

"No, I came out here to bring him inside, but he wouldn't have it."

Fang barked in the affirmative and looked at Garrett with what the young man had called his "eager face" and waited for his master to acknowledge him.

Garrett had acquired Fang several months ago on a job for the Red Irons. He was asked to sabotage a mabari smuggling ring from a rival smuggler. The mabaris, he was told, had all come from Fereldan and were being used in fights for gambling. Needless to say, it was one job Garrett was happy to perform. I had been quite a day. After sneaking into the kennel where the hounds were being kept, he released them all from their cages and watched as they ran rampant through the smugglers hide out and viciously attacked their abusers. Luckily, the stories of a mabari's intelligence were all true and instead of attacking Garrett, they recognized him as their savior. He allowed the hounds to run loose in Kirkwall and it turned out that Lowtown was grateful; the mabari's were good at pest control it seemed. Even a few of the city guard took the opportunity to take the dogs in for training.

One mabari in particular had followed Garrett home. Despite his best effort to dissuade the hound into coming with him, since it was one more mouth to feed, the dog wouldn't leave his side. Bethany adored the dog and his mother, while skeptical at first, eventually came to accept Fang as part of the family. Gamlen had been a little harder to convince. He made it clear he didn't want the dog in his home, but after Fang proved his worth by killing all the rats that infested the house, he allowed the animal to stay.

Fang had proven to be a valuable asset to Garrett's time in the Red Irons and he was thankful to the dog for keeping his mother company while he and Bethany were out; Maker knew Gamlen wasn't much company. Garrett had found he valued Fang's company very much…apart from the times when the animal didn't assault him with unbridled affection.

"How many times have I told you not to jump me when I come home?" Garrett asked in an annoyed tone.

Fang's happy place was replaced with a forlorn one and he looked at Garrett with those glossy puppy dog eyes. Garrett sighed; those eyes got him every time.

"Alright," he said as he scratched behind Fang's ears causing the dog's tail wagged with renewed vigor.

"So how did the job go?" Bethany asked curiously.

"I'd rather not talk about, Bethany," Garrett answered as he joined her on the steps. "Just know that our year of unpaid labor is done."

"That's all well and good, but what are we going to do now? We can't keep the Templars away forever and I can't stand to be in this hole for much longer."

"I don't blame you, but we need to use what money we have to keep people quiet," Garrett said.

"And then?"

"We'll think of something, Bethany, don't worry. I'm just as anxious to get out of Lowtown as you."

"I just wonder what it could be like if Gamlen didn't lose all the money and the estate," Bethany mused. "Don't you ever think about what it would be like to live in Hightown as a noble?"

"Sometimes," Garrett said. "I wouldn't want to sit around a mansion all day getting fat like the rest of the rich in Kirkwall, but being able to not worry about money, food, or living conditions would be nice."

Bethany hummed in agreement and even Fang huffed his consent as well.

The two enjoyed the peace and quiet for a few moments longer, enjoying each other's company and playing with Fang.

Then, Bethany suddenly remembered something.

"Oh! Garrett I heard something in Hightown today," she stated excitedly. "It might be just what we need, to get out of here."

"Is it noble that's sick of his house and money and wants to give all away for free?" Garrett asked sarcastically.

"Sadly, nothing that incredible, but I heard that there's a dwarf named Bartrand planning some big expedition. He's hiring loads of people for labor and protection and the money he's paying could get us a decent home instead this shack!"

"Where's the expedition going?" Garrett asked, intrigued by this news.

"The Deep Roads," Bethany answered.

"And there's the catch," Garrett said with a dry laugh.

"Come on, Garrett," Bethany pressed. "We can handle a few Darkspawn; we have before!"

"Bethany, do you know how dangerous the Deep Roads are?"

"I know, but we may never get another chance like this!"

Garrett thought long and hard about what his sister had said, and on all accounts knew that she was right. The Deep Roads were incredibly perilous, but they needed money and they needed it fast. Risk big, win big, right?

"Alright then, we'll go see him soon," Garrett conceded.

"This could really be it, brother!" Bethany said, very happy with Garrett's response.

"Let's hope you're right."

* * *

**And there it is!**

**I wasn't sure whether or not to include the dog in this story, since he was only available through DLC and doesn't contribute at all to the story. But I forgot to add him in the first chapter so I introduced him in this one and gave him a backstory since in the game he's just randomly appears once you downloa****d him.**

**I wanted to portray Garrett as a combination of the saboteur/stealth warrior since he's no longer a soldier and being a mercenary is more than just having weapon skill, it's about being able to adapt to the situation and acquiring whatever skills are necessary to get the job done. I might throw in a few other styles later, but we'll see.**

**Til next time!  
**


	5. Partners?

**Author's Note: sorry this update took so long, everyone. I was wrapped up in another story for about a week before I decided to drop it and put it on hiatus for a while, but enough about that. This chapter is probably shorter than the last one, but of well. I'll try to make the next one longer.**

**DISCLAIMER~ Dragon Age II is the property of Bioware and... I think EA, but I'm pretty sure it's mostly Bioware.**

* * *

"No! Andraste's tits human! You know how many people wanna hire on to this expedition?" shouted a very irate dwarf the Hawke siblings had been following through the Dwarven District of Hightown.

"But we heard you're going into the Deep Roads," Bethany stated, trying to be civil. "Surely you'll need all the help you can-"

"No!" the dwarf, Bartrand, repeated. "You're too late! Already done! This is the sort of venture that can make a man for life! I'm not about to take any chances hiring some random human!"

"What about if the random human fought and killed a couple dozen darkspawn?" Garrett asked.

"Look, I don't care how many darkspawn you've killed! Right now, half of Kirkwall wants to be my best friend, most of them stuck in the slums like you and looking for an easy way out," Bartrand said in annoyance. "Find yourself another meal ticket, human." And with that he walked off.

Garrett glared angrily at the dwarf, secretly thinking of some painful things he could do to him. Seriously, why would you go into the Deep Roads, the one place in the world where you were always guaranteed to encounter Darkspawn, and not hire someone that had fought off dozens of said demons and made it out alive and in one piece?

"Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth," Garrett muttered.

"Now what do we do? This expedition was our last chance!" Bethany stated with desperation. "We have nothing to keep people from selling us out!"

It had been almost a week since Garrett and Bethany stopped working for the Red Irons. In that time they had tried to get an odd job or two, but it wasn't enough to keep them from running out of money to bribe people from ratting Bethany out to the templars.

"We'll find something, I promise," Hawke said. "I'm not letting the templars take you."

"Thank you, but people in Lowtown are more afraid of the Knight-Commander than you," she pointed out. "We need coin, status, something we can hide behind. As long as we're just refugees, we're no one."

Garrett could practically see the fear in Bethany's eyes. Though he would never allow it, Garrett had to agree that being sent to the Ferelden Circle of Magi was nowhere near as bad as being sent to the Circle in Kirkwall. At least the templars in Ferelden would have tried to capture Bethany peacefully and only would have resorted to violence if she attacked them, which Garrett would never happen. In Kirkwall it was different. The city seemed to have a zero tolerance policy for apostates. Most of the templars would most likely kill her outright then attempt to bring her in alive.

"Maybe Gamlen knows someone who can talk to Bartrand for us," Bethany suggested.

"Sure, and in exchange he can whore us out again!" Garrett snapped. Gamlen was the last person he would ever turn to for help.

"Well what else can we do, Garrett?" Bethany asked.

"We'll think of something," he replied as they headed off back in the direction of the market square.

He then suddenly felt something being pulled from his belt. He turned around to see some red head kid running away with a pouch full of what little money Garrett possessed.

"Hey!" he shouted and took off after the boy with Bethany close behind.

The boy thief rounded a corner and for a moment Garrett lost sight of him. When he rounded that same corner, he found the thief pinned to a wall by a crossbow bolt. Garrett didn't see any blood and the boy wasn't screaming so he realized that the bolt must have only caught his shirt. He then saw a dwarf walk up to and hold out his hand for Garrett's pouch. The dwarf muttered something Garrett couldn't hear before hitting the young man with a hard left hook to the jaw. He removed the bolt and let the boy fall to the ground.

The dwarf turned to look at Garrett and flashed him a grin before walking up to him and tossing the coin pouch to him.

Garrett thought he looked strange for a dwarf. Every dwarf Garrett had seen since he came to Kirkwall had large beard or some other ostentatious form of facial hair, but this dwarf only had a light blonde stubble that matched his smooth blonde hair that was tied up in a short ponytail. Also, unlike most Kirkwall dwarves that wore fine clothes or battle armor of some kind, this dwarf wore a brown leather duster coat, black cotton trousers, brown leather boots, and a rather nice looking silk shirt that was left wide open revealing a muscular chest…and quite a bit of chest hair. On his back was the most impressive looking crossbow Garrett had ever seen- an odd choice or weapon for a dwarf.

"How do you do? Varric Tethras at your service," he greeted while twirling the same bolt he used to capture the thief. "I apologize for my brother, Bartrand."

"That unreasonable dwarf is your brother?" Garrett asked in surprise. Varric let out a sigh.

"Yes. Bartrand wouldn't know a good opportunity if hit him square in the jaw," he replied.

"But you would?" Garrett asked.

"I would!" Varric answered with a grin. "What my brother doesn't seem to realize is that we need someone like you. Not that he would ever admit it- he's too proud. Lucky for you, however, I happen to be quite practical."

"You need someone like me? Just who do you think I am?" Garrett asked curiously. He thought that outside of Lowtown, few people knew who he actually was.

"Don't be so modest," Varric said with a light chuckle. "You've made quite a name for yourself over the last year. Serving with the Red Iron is now easy feat, but you not only served you impressed. The name "Hawke" is on many lips these days."

"And what of my sister?" Garrett asked nodding towards Bethany.

He was curious as to whether or not this Varric knew of Bethany being a mage. If he did, he could only he wouldn't try to exploit their desire to keep her secret.

"I have heard of her some," Varric responded. "She is certainly welcome to come and don't worry, madam, your secret is safe with me," he added with a wink towards Bethany.

"I think we should listen to what he has to say, brother! This could be it!" Bethany whispered into Garrett's ear excitedly, but Garrett still had a few more questions.

"Your brother seemed adamant on not hiring me," Garrett stated.

"We don't need another hireling, we need a partner," Varric stated.

"Partner?" Garrett asked suddenly very interested in Varric's proposal.

"Yes. The truth is, Bartrand's been tearing his beard out trying to fund this expedition on his own, but he can't do it," Varric admitted.

"Ah, and there it is," Garrett said knowingly.

"Invest fifty sovereigns in the expedition and there's no way he can refuse, especially with me vouching for you," Varric explained.

"If I had fifty sovereigns, do you think I'd need this job?" Garrett said.

"You gotta think big! There's only a brief window after a Blight where the Deep Roads won't be swarming with darkspawn. The treasure you'd find down there could set you up for life!"

"It might be dangerous, but the reward is better than sitting here and waiting to be thrown into the Gallows," Bethany said to Garrett.

"But there's still the question of how we get the money together," Garrett reminded her.

"You and I will work together to get the capital we need," Varric said.

"You'd help us?" Garrett asked surprised.

"Of course! If we're going to be partners, it's only fair I work with you to fund this and when's it's all over, we'll come back to Kirkwall rich. What do you say?"

Garrett mulled it over for a moment. Unlike Bartrand, this dwarf seemed honorable and his words definitely sounded genuine. He supposed it was either get in the offer or stay and Kirkwall and try to scrape a living together. The choice was rather obvious.

"Looks you have a partner, Ser Tethras," Garrett said, extending his hand to the dwarf.

"Call me Varric, Hawke," he said jovially as he shook Garrett's hand and sealed their partnership. "And this is Bianca," he added gesturing to his crossbow.

"You named your crossbow?" Garrett asked with a raised brow.

"And why not?" Varric said with a laugh as he turned his head to look at his weapon. "She's quite the lady. Say hello Bianca."

"Right…so what's the next step?" Garrett asked.

"This city is crawling with work if you know where to look and who to ask," Varric stated. "Set aside some coin from every job and you'll have the money in no time!"

"Alright, we'll look around, but what about you?"

"We should talk privately when we get the chance," Varric suggested. "Come find me in the Hanged Man tonight; I've got a suite there. We''ll discuss our business then."

With that, the dwarf headed off to the direction of the market district.

"I told you we'd find something," Garrett said to Bethany with a smug smile earning a playful punch in the arm from his little sister.

"Smartass… let's go tell mother," she said.

"You think she'll like the idea of us going into the Deep Roads?" Garrett asked.

"Probably not, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Maybe the chance to get out Gamlen's piss hole will help see things our way."

* * *

When the Hawke siblings arrived back at their uncle's hovel they were greeted by two familiar things. The first was Fang, happy to see Garrett as always and waiting for the mabari treat his master had promised he'd pick up while he was out. The second was the sound of their mother and uncle's arguing.

"My children have been in servitude- **servitude**- for a year!" Leandra shouted. "They should be nobility! They should be attending lavish parties and choosing suitable spouses to carry on the family name!"

Garrett grimaced at that. As a much as he would mind being wealthy, living the same life as the rest of the snobbish and lazy nobles and Hightown did not suit him. Garrett was not a noble, he was fighter, he was a soldier. After everything he seen, everything he had done, he couldn't just walk away from it and sit around in mansion getting fat. As for finding a wife, Garrett had seen the women the men in Hightown had wrapped around their arms; spoiled, lazy girls that had never worked a day in their lives and were content with spending their man's money on trivial, yet expensive, items at the market. No, definitely not for him.

"If wishes were poppies, we'd would all be dreaming!" Gamlen spat back.

"This seems more like a nightmare," Garrett announced sardonically.

"Don't get smart with me boy!" Gamlen snapped. "If your mother hadn't run off with your Fereldan mage father, she wouldn't be living here you know!"

"My father was a good man; he made her happy!" Garrett growled. He would tolerate anyone, especially a loser like Gamlen, bad mouth his father.

"She was supposed to marry the Comte de Lancet, but instead she ran off with some filthy Fereldan apostate!" Gamlen sneered, undeterred by his nephew.

"What did you say?" Garrett shouted as he grabbed the hem of Gamlen's collar and readied his fist for a good shot to his uncle's nose.

"Garrett, that's enough!" Leandra shouted, steeping between the two.

"He's just upset, because you didn't marry some pompous noble with a lot of coin!" Garrett stated. "How else would he mooch off of you and buy his way out any trouble he no doubt would have gotten himself into?"

"Garrett, calm down!" This time it was Bethany who steeped in and tried to diffuse the situation.

She and Leandra had successfully managed to pull Garrett away from Gamlen, both of whom were still glaring at each other, and set a fair amount of distance between the two.

"Where is father's will, Gamlen?" Leandra asked evenly. "I would like to see it for myself."

"It's not here!" Gamlen snapped. "It was read, it went in the vault. No one needed to look at it again!"

"Grandfather must have mentioned something about mother in his will," Bethany said.

"Our father died while you were still in pinafores, girl!" Gamlen spat. "You can hardly expect me to remember!"

"Can't you at least show us?" Bethany asked trying her best not to get frustrated.

"I can't! It's locked up in the vault at the estate and someone else owns it now!"

"Strange that you wouldn't take your parents will with you," Garrett muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

"What are you saying, boy?" Gamlen asked scornfully.

"I'm just wondering why you wouldn't take your parents will is all," Garrett said nonchalantly. "Unless of course, you didn't particularly care for what was written, _uncle_."

"Who bought the estate, Gamlen?" Leandra asked, trying to stop another argument between her brother and son. "Was it the Reinhardts? Perhaps I could speak with them."

"No you know! Get use to Lowtown, sister. That's where we're going to stay!" he snapped before turning on his heel and heading into the adjacent room.

Leandra only sighed in frustration and went to sit by the fire. Fang walked up to her chair and offered her company by lying his head down in her lap. The Hawke matriarch smiled lightly and scratched the hounds head.

Garrett gently tugged on Bethany's arm and led her outside and quietly closed the door.

"What are you doing? I thought we were going to tell mother about the expedition."

"We will, but there's something I want to find out first," Garrett explained.

"What?"

"Didn't Gamlen seem a little more edge to you when mother mentioned the will?"

"He's always on edge when we ask about our family," Bethany pointed out.

"That's true, but why wouldn't he take the will with him? Wouldn't you take mother's will if she left one regardless of what it said?" Garrett asked curiously.

"I...yes?" Bethany said, unsure of where Garrett was going with his line of questioning.

"That bastard's hiding something," Garrett stated. "I say we head to estate and find the will."

"But how do we know if it's still there?"

"We won't know unless we find out for ourselves. Don't you want to know what grandfather really wrote in his will? What he left mother something? Don't you think she should know?"

"Well…I am curious about grandfather's last wishes," Bethany admitted. "Maybe he left a small fortune for you and me somewhere!"

"And think about how that could help us fund the expedition!" Garrett added.

"Alright, brother, let's do it!"

"Right. We still have time before we're supposed to meet Varric. We'll ask mother about the mansion, find the will, and see what our uncle's hiding."

"Let's just hope Gamlen didn't sell to anyone unsavory," Bethany added.

"Oh, Maker, let's hope!"

* * *

**I tried my best to make the conversation with Varric as original as possible while still holding true to the game, but in my opinion there are just some things that the characters in this game say that are perfect just the way they are and shouldn't be toyed with. I did, however, feel I did good with the scene in Gamlen's house, but I'll leave that up to all of you.**

**Til next, guys!**


	6. The Truth

**Author's Note:**** Wow, been a while since I've updated ANYTHING! I hit a block with most of my stories, but I got back into Dragon Age 2 with renewed vigor lately and put all my effort into updating this story. Now in case you're wondering where I've been: this been... this story was supposed to be updated much sooner. I went on a vacation to Florida a little over two weeks ago and I did plan on updating this story during my free time at the hotel, but by the time I got to the airport... I realized I left my laptop charger at home. So for two weeks straight, I haven't been able to work on anything and once I got, after I went through all the emails read all the other stories that accumulated during my absence was I able to actually stop and work on this, but I digress. Enjoy!**

* * *

Garrett realized he shouldn't have been too surprised when he found out that his uncle had sold the Amell estate to slavers. Who else would buy an estate from a degenerate like him? He was just thankful that these slavers had nothing on the Red Iron; each and every one was easily dispatched by him from the shadows or from Bethany's ice magic.

They had entered the estate's wine cellar from an old hidden passage in Dark Town that, after a little prying, there mother hold told them about. Past the large room containing all the wine, they found another room that contained several crates and chests and, to the siblings' awe, the crest of the Amell family. Bethany was the first of the two to start digging through everything. Out the two of them, she was probably the most curious about their family history. She opened one of the chests and found something that made her gasp. She pulled the object and held it up for Garrett to see.

It was a large portrait of their mother. Garrett almost didn't recognize her without the graying hair that he had become so accustomed to in the last few years or the fine noble dress she wore. The woman in the painting had long jet black hair much like the children she bore. Gone were the wrinkles on her face that he had seen not two hours ago. Instead, this woman had smooth, creamy, almost pale skin that was perfectly unblemished. His mother couldn't have been any older than eighteen when the portrait was painted.

"I can't believe this is what are mother looked like," Bethany said in amazement.

"She looks just like you," Garrett commented. Bethany scoffed.

"I wish I could be that beautiful and dressed in something so magnificent," she mused. "We should take it with us."

"Well, it's not technically stealing," Garrett said with a smirk.

"No it's not," Bethany said in agreement. "We're returning it to its rightful owner."

"Which would be me!"

Both Hawkes turned at the sound of the voice and saw three more slavers standing in the doorway of the room. The two at the sides weren't anything special, but the one in the middle had instantly put Garrett on his toes. The slaver wore robes and in his hands was an ornate oak staff, indicating him as a mage.

Garrett hated fighting mages. He had to kill or capture a few during his year as a mercenary. Every time he had to remain vigilant. Fighting men with blades and evading arrows or crossbow bolts was a dance Garrett was used to, but mages, they were always unpredictable. This was especially so in Kirkwall, where almost every mage outside the Circle was a practitioner of blood magic.

"You little rats are intruding in our home!" the mage said with a sneer.

"I beg to differ," Garrett said with a glare. "This is my family's home. You gentlemen are hereby evicted."

"Little shit! Who do you think you are?"

"My name is Hawke," Garrett said with malicious grin.

Garrett almost laughed as the three sets of jaws dropped and three pairs of eyes almost popped out of their respective heads in fear. That was the only thing Garrett loved about his time in the Red Irons; his name had become feared by most of Kirkwall's underworld.

"Kill him!" the mage shouted as he reached behind him for his staff.

The two thugs behind him hesitated at first, but drew their weapons and charged at the Hawkes.

"Get behind me, brother," Bethany said as she stepped in front of Garrett and drew her own staff.

She placed the butt of her staff firmly on the ground and placed her left pointer and middle fingers on her forehead. When the thugs were only a foot away from her, she released her Mind Blast spell. The two men stumbled back dazed as the wave of telekinetic force struck them. Garrett didn't miss a beat. As soon as Bethany had finished casting her spell he dashed towards the thugs, unsheathing his daggers as he did so, and thrust both blades into the their stomachs. Both let out a final gasp as Garrett wrenched the daggers from their bodies and let them fall to the ground. Only the mage was left, looking less and less confident by the second.

"Maker spit on you, Hawke!" the mage shouted as he raised his staff, which was already being set ablaze by a fireball spell.

Bethany rushed to her brother's defense once and waved her staff in a horizontal arc performing a Cone of Cold spell. The spell froze the mage in place, but Bethany continued her flow of mana until the slaver mage was an ice sculpture.

Bethany stumbled a bit once she finished casting the spell and use her staff to steady herself. She had spent the last year trying to master it and, while it was powerful, she still had a long to go before mastering it and thus the use of it tired her out a bit.

"You're getting better," Garrett said appraisingly. "I remember when you were only good enough to light the fire under the cauldron or cool my hot soup."

"Oh ha ha," Bethany said sarcastically as she gained her second wind. "Now, what do we do about him?" she asked pointing towards her frozen victim.

"He's a slaver, no one will miss him," Garrett stated matter-of-factly. "Do you want to take care of him or should I?"

"Well…I have been wanting to try my Crushing Prison spell," Bethany stated after a few moments of thought.

"Go for it, little sister," Garrett said before taking a few steps back.

Bethany stood in front of the frozen slaver and held out her free hand and her staff. A look of concentration crossed her features as she began the spell. It took a few seconds, but Garrett started hearing a few audible cracking sounds and began to see small lines crisscross their way along the mage's body. After a several more seconds the mage shattered into several small pieces and Bethany let out a breath she had been holding.

"Not bad," Garrett commented. "All you need is a little more practice."

"It's not like I get the opportunity very often," Bethany pointed out.

"When we get to the Deep Roads, you'll have plenty creatures to try it on I'm sure."

"Then let's find grandfather's will so we can meet Varric later and get the expedition underway."

Garrett nodded and the two of the left the room and continued down the hall until they reached a set of stairs. They opened the door at the top and found themselves in a much more ornate room then the drab wine cellar they had spent close to an hour traversing through. On their right was another set of stairs that most likely led up to the main hall of the estate. On their left was another open room. They walked in and found several locked chests and an armoire that was no doubt filled with expensive and extravagant clothes. What caught Garrett's eye was a chest at the far end of the wall. It was much more ornate than the others and had the Amell family crest painted on it. That had to be where the will was kept.

"Now how do we open it?" Bethany asked. "Should we break it open?"

"No, I can pick the lock," Garrett said as he knelt down and reached into the pouch on his belt and pulled out a lock pick.

It took him a couple of minutes, but Garrett managed to successfully open the chest. He looked into the chest and found several stacks of sovereigns, and precious stones, but he wasn't about to rob his family's home. He only wanted one thing: proof that the room he was standing in belonged to him, his mother, and Bethany. At the bottom of the chest he found a large envelope that had that had the seal of the Amell family on it. He pulled it out for Bethany to see and noticed that the waxed seal had already been broken.

"No harm in looking now I suppose," he said as he pulled out the folded piece of vellum.

He skimmed through the last will and testament of his grandparents, keeping an eye out for anything mentioning his mother or Gamlen. As he neared the end of the will he spotted something of interest. He read each and every word carefully until he found what he was looking for.

"Well, what does it say?" Bethany asked anxiously.

"You have got to see this, sister," Garrett said as he pointed towards the line she needed to read.

Bethany read the line her brother had indicated and her eyes widened as she reached the end.

"We have to get this to mother! She needs to see this!"

* * *

"So I've been thinking: blood's blood and all, but you really taking advantage of my hospitality," Gamlen said to Leandra. "Perhaps it's time you donated to your stay here?"

Leandra rounded on him with a fierce glare.

"You sell my children into servitude and now you're asking me to pay you rent?" she asked incredulously.

"Well…maybe just put something towards food?" Gamlen said, shrinking slightly under his sister's glare.

The door then swung open and in walked Bethany and Garrett. Bethany took the will from Garrett and ran up to their mother.

"Where have you two been?" she asked curiously.

"Never mind that, mother, you have to see this!" she said as she placed the envelope into her mother's hand.

"W-Where did you get that?" Gamlen asked nervously after he caught a glimpse of the envelope's broken seal.

"In the family estate that you sold to slavers!" Garrett snapped.

"Slavers?" Leandra asked horrified.

"I think I'll be going now," Gamlen said with a nervous chuckle as he glanced towards the door. He was stopped by a growling Fang.

"You're not going anywhere, Uncle," Garrett said with a wicked smirk. "Read the will mother. He's been lying to us. Grandfather left _you _everything."

Leandra's eyes widened and she immediately pulled the vellum from the envelope and slowly read it from start to finish.

"To my daughter Leandra and all children born of her: the estate in Hightown and all associated revenues," she read out loud.

"Your parents forgave you, mother," Garrett said. "They left you everything and Gamlen was only supposed to receive a stipend that you would control."

"Gamlen, how could you?" Leandra asked angry and disappointed.

"You're the one who ran away, Leandra!" Gamlen snapped. "Whatever happened to 'love is more important than money'?"

"It is!" Leandra asked, offended that her brother would accuse her of being shallow.

"You didn't even come home for the funeral!"

"The twins were a week old!" Leandra snapped back.

"We all have our burdens! Mine was to look after a life you abandoned! I took care of mother and father and on his deathbed all he could talk about was _you_! And as if that wasn't enough he left you everything and you weren't even here!"

"So you stole from your sister, squandered your family's fortune and shamed your family name," Garrett stated. "Forgive me if I find it hard to pity you, uncle."

"I don't want your pity, boy," Gamlen replied scathingly. "I cleaned their sheets and wiped their chins through two bouts of the cholera and I was left with nothing! So, yeah I screwed up, but at least I got the money in the end!"

"I don't care about any of that, Gamlen," Leandra said, her anger gone. "It's enough to know that mother and father didn't die angry. I'll petition the Viscount for rights to reclaim the estate. Maker willing, you'll have your 'house' back in a matter of weeks."

"You can't just demand an audience with the Viscount, sister!" Gamlen said angrily. "You have to be someone in this city to do that!"

"Well then, I better get started," Leandra said calmly and then made her way to the writing desk to begin writing her letter to the Viscount.

Gamlen shook his head angrily and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

Now that that was settled, the Hawke siblings decided that now was the best time to tell their mother the news.

"Mother, we have something important to tell you," Garrett said.

Leandra looked up at him and Bethany from her seat and smiled.

"More important than what you just revealed to me not one minute ago?"

"Well maybe not that important, but it's still pretty big," Garrett said with a chuckle. "It could be what we need to get out of Lowtown and keep Bethany safe from the templars."

"What is it?" Leandra asked curiously.

"We went to Hightown early to join an expedition that could definitely earn us quite a bit of money," Garrett explained. "The dwarf leading the expedition wouldn't hire us, but his brother offered us something better: a partnership. All we need to do is get the money together to fund the expedition."

"How much do you need?"

"Fifty sovereigns," Garrett said nervously. His mother's reaction was just as he expected.

"Fifty?" she asked in shock. "Where on earth is this expedition going?"

The siblings looked at each other apprehensively. This was the hard part.

"Bethany, you tell her."

"What? Why me?"

"Weren't you the one who said we'd cross this bridge when we came to it? Well we came to it! Now cross it!"

"I never said I'd tell her!"

"Well it was implied!"

"No it wasn't!"

"Yes it was!"

"No it wasn't!"

"Yes it was!"

Leandra rubbed the space between her eyes in annoyance at her children's bickering. She stood up and firmly tugged on both of their ears causing both of them to cry out in pain.

"Now I'm going to let go of your ears and when I do, I want you to _calmly _answer my question," she stated, her voice low and stern. "Do you two understand?"

Both siblings nodded in consent and their mother released her hold.

"Now, where is the expedition going?" she asked evenly.

"The Deep Roads," Bethany and Garrett said at the same time, both avoiding their mother's gaze.

"The Deep Roads?" she practically shouted. "Are the two of you mad?"

"We know it's dangerous mother, but the treasure we find down there could get us out of here," Garrett said trying to calm his mother.

"I don't care! You're not going into the Deep Roads just for a quick way out of Lowtwon!"

"It's not like we're going alone mother," Bethany tried. "And we've been told that it should be safer because the Blight is over."

"The Deep Roads are **never **safe!" Leandra stated. "I'm not going to lose any more of my children to Darkspawn!"

"If it comes down to it mother, Bethany will stay and I will go," said Garrett. His remark earned an offended glare from his sister.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Leandra asked unconvinced.

Garrett sighed in frustration. Diplomacy wasn't working. It was time to put his foot down.

"Mother, I am not a little boy, I am an adult. I can make my own decisions about my life," he stated evenly. "If I can make this expedition happen, I will and if going into the Deep Roads will get us out of this hovel and put more distance between Bethany and the templars, then it's a risk I am willing to take."

Leandra glared at her son for a few moments, not saying a word. Finally she let out a defeated sigh.

"Very well, Garrett. I suppose I can't stop you, but just promise me one thing: Bethany will stay here when you go."

"I promise."

"Good," Leandra said, her features softening a bit. "Now, I have to get back to work on this letter. The two of be careful."

"Thank you, mother," Garrett said before heading towards the door.

"And take Fang with you; he's been cooped up in here for days!" Leandra said before they left.

The mabari barked happily and wagged his short tail at his master in anticipation.

"Alright, let's go boy," Garrett said as he opened the door and walked out of the house.

Once they descended the stairs, Bethany rounded on Garrett.

"You're going to leave me here?" she asked angrily. "I have just as much right to go as you do!"

"It was the only way I could convince mother," Garrett defended.

"You don't know that! She could have changed her mind if we pushed a little harder!"

"We'll talk about it later, alright? Maybe she'll change her mind once we gotten things underway."

"I'm going regardless," Bethany stated adamantly.

Garrett didn't bother to argue any further, it wouldn't get them anywhere. For now they had to meet with Varric and discuss the venture with him.

* * *

The Hanged Man was bustling with activity as usual. Men and women from both the filthy streets of Lowtown to the lavish, glossy streets of Hightown took up every available seat and stool drinking themselves into varying states of inebriation. Garrett stopped Norah while she was serving drinks and asked where Varric could be found. She pointed him towards the second level of the building and told him to enter the first room in front of the stairs. The Hawkes and their mabari made their way to the suite and knocked on the door.

"Oh good, you made it," Varric said cheerfully after he opened the door. "Come on in, have seat. Norah should be by with drinks anyt-" He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the mabari tailing after a Hawke.

"You own a mabari?" he asked curiously.

"Long story," Garrett said as he and Bethany sat down at the table while Fang sat beside Garrett's chair.

"I like long stories," Varric said with a grin as he joined them at the head of the table. "Maybe you'll tell me someday?"

"Maybe I will," Garrett said with a friendly smile. "But why don't we get down to business first?"

"All in good time Hawke; we got all night," Varric said patiently. "First, as business partners, I think it's best we get to know a little about each other."

"What do you want to know?" Garrett asked curiously.

"Well I know of your exploits here in Kirkwall, but I find myself more curious as to how someone like you found his way here."

"I doubt you'd believe me even if I told you," Garrett said with a light chuckle.

"I've heard many outlandish stories, Hawke, even told a few of them myself," Varric said with a smirk. "There's nothing you could tell me that wouldn't surprise me."

"Are you sure about that?" Garrett asked with a challenging smirk.

"Try me," Garrett said unfazed.

Garrett proceeded to give Varric a short introduction of his family and his life in Lothering. The dwarf listened intently to every word, face neutral, never once interrupting. Only when Garrett got to his escape from the encroaching Blight did the dwarf's neutral look change to one of great intrigue.

"You actually met the Witch of the Wilds?" he asked incredulously.

"I told you wouldn't believe me," Garrett said before taking a sip of his ale.

"I didn't say that," Varric stated matter-of-factly.

"You mean you do?" Garrett asked in disbelief.

"Like I said Hawke: I've heard many stories, but no one has ever mentioned the Witch of the Wilds. Since you're the first one to tell me, you must be telling the truth," Varric explained.

"That doesn't make sense," Bethany commented.

"Well then, let's just say I know you're not lying," Varric said with a grin.

"I suppose that'll do," Garrett said with a shrug.

"But seriously? You met the Witch of the Wilds and survived and then made a deal with her?" Varric asked in amazement. "What was going through your head?"

"Well my only concern was-"

Garrett immediately stopped talking and his face took a much more distant look. His thoughts almost instantly went back to the very day he just described to Varric. He focused on one specific memory.

"_There is a clan of Dalish elves near the city of Kirkwall. Deliver this amulet to their Keeper, Marethari."_

The amulet!

"Oh shit!" Garrett cursed out loud.

"Garrett what's wrong?" Bethany asked, startled by her brother's outburst.

"We forgot to deliver the amulet Flemeth gave us to the Dalish!" Garrett exclaimed.

"Oh no! What do we do now?" she asked desperately. "Should we go right now?"

"After a year? They're probably gone," Garrett said dejectedly.

"Whoa, slow down," Varric said, lost to what was going on. "What's going on? What amulet are you talking about?"

"You remember I said I made a deal with the witch?" Garrett asked. Varric nodded in the affirmative. "The deal was: in exchange for safe passage from the Darkspawn, all I had to do was bring the amulet she gave me to the Dalish outside of Kirkwall."

"And you forgot?" Varric asked in surprise.

"There was a lot going on at the time," Garrett said. "We had just lost our brother, our companion had to kill her husband to end his suffering, we just barely made it out of Ferelden, and when we get here our uncle sold us into servitude."

"Well I guess it's understandable that you might have overlooked something like that in light of it all," Varric stated.

"It's probably too late now," Garrett said hopelessly.

"Not true," Varric said with a knowing smile. "The Dalish are still camped out near Sundermount."

"They are? Then I'm sorry, Varric, but we need to cut this short. I have to bring that amulet to Sundermount."

"Hold your horses, Hawke. It's not that simple," Varric said calmly before Garrett could walk out of the room. "The northern gate out of Kirkwall's been closed off by order of Knight-Commander Meredith."

"Why?" Garrett asked.

"Why else?" Varric asked sarcastically. "A few mages managed to escape from the Circle and, last I heard, were hiding out in the mountains."

"Great," Garrett said in frustration. "How long is that going to take?"

"Not long if I'm any judge. Meredith has a raging hard-on for any mage that escapes her custody."

"Custody seems to be the appropriate word," Bethany muttered with a scowl.

"So I guess we have to wait," Garrett said in defeat as he sat back down. "But why would the Dalish still be there?"

"I guess we'll ask them when we head out there," Varric said.

"We?" Garrett asked in surprise.

"Yes. I told you we'll be working together," Varric said with a grin. "And who knows, maybe we'll find something out there that might help us fund this venture."

"Alright, Varric, so what do we do for now?" Bethany asked.

"Well here's the thing: we need to find a way into the Deep Roads. Bartrand can lead us to the right place once we're down there, but we need a good entrance."

"And how are we supposed to find one? Crawl into the nearest pit and pray that there's no Darkspawn down there?" Garrett asked sarcastically, earning a laugh from Varric.

"No, but fortunately, I've received some new information that could help. There's a Grey Warden here in the city. If anyone knows how to get down there it'll be him."

"And you think he'll just tell us?" Garrett asked, slightly unconvinced.

"Come on, Hawke, surely you've noticed by now that I can be very persuasive," Varric said with a confident smile.

"Point taken," Garrett said with a chuckle. "So where do we find him?"

"Supposedly, he arrived here with other Fereldan refugees not long ago," Varric explained. "Lirene, the owner of the Ferelden Import shop has been helping any and all Fereldans that walk through her door. I'm almost certain she'll be able to point us in the right direction."

"Alright, but what about the money issue?" Garrett asked.

"I'll keep after my contacts and see if there's anyone that needs work done. I should have some news by tomorrow."

"Then I guess we have a busy day ahead of us?" Garrett stated.

"It'll all be worth it, Hawke, trust me."

* * *

**Now I would like to say something about the way I write my battles.**

**I know that they are short and the characters do seem a bit overpowered, but there's a reason for that. I'm not particularly good at writing out battles and since this an action/adventure story, I've been at a disadvantage from the get-go. So I decided that I would save all my effort for the larger fights for this story; right now I'm already planning ahead on Hawke's inevitable battle with the Arishok. So in mean time, the little fights will be short sweet and to the point and I apologize ahead to all you action-lovers out there, but please forgive my flaws, I'm only human.**

**I'm still a little unsure of what the order will be for how Hawke will meet the other characters. I want to find a way in which it all comes together fluidly. At least I have Anders down already, I just need to work on everyone else and the OC companion I mention earlier in this story. Hopefully you'll be impressed with this new character I've come up with.**

**Til next time!  
**


	7. The Former Grey Warden

**Author's Note****: here I am again everyone with Chapter Seven. There's a fight scene in this chapter that I actually spent a combined total of seven hours on! At the suggestion of one of my reviewers, I decided to stop making my battles so short and one-sided. I can't promise they'll all be great, but I'll will be trying and listening to your feedback to improve. There's also a special prize to anyone who can count how many times I used the word "templar" in this chapter...not really though, but by all means, give yourself a pat on the back afterwards XD**

**UPDATE: While I was working on the next chapter, I realized the first six hundred words or so were not suited as an introduction to a chapter. The next chapter was basically going to pick up directly where this one left off with Garrett returning to Anders clinic to confront him about what happened in the Chantry. I decided that wasn't a good way to start a new chapter and since I didn't want to update this story with a six hundred word chapter, I added the first page the next chapter to this one to serve as a conclusion. That being said, I'm sorry that this isn't a "real" story update, just an addition to the latest chapter.  
**

* * *

Every time Garrett saw a Fereldan sitting on some street corner in Lowtown begging for food or a few coppers, he felt a pang of sadness. His countrymen had been in Kirkwall for a year and were worse off than when they had first arrived. They had sold all of their possessions when they first arrived to survive and it hadn't gotten them anywhere.

When he walked into Lirene's Ferelden Imports with Bethany, Varric and Fang, he was unprepared for the dozens of Fereldan's that were in there. Lirene didn't just sell and purchase Fereldan made items, she also provided food and shelter to any Fereldan that came into her door. It didn't take a genius to see that she was in way over her head, which was probably why she had a donation box off to the side on top of her desk. When Garrett gently pushed his way to the front and took a peek inside, he was saddened to see only couple dozen silvers and a handful of coppers.

Garrett knew how to think business; being a mercenary taught him the value of reason over emotion. However, when he saw next to nothing in a donation box that was meant to help people that had lost everything, he to thought 'to hell with reason'. He reached for his coin pouch and pulled out twenty-five silvers; that should have been enough to get everyone in the room some food. Bethany followed his example and tossed in some silvers as well. He looked to Varric and expected indignation, but the dwarf surprised him and tossed one sovereign in into the box. Garrett shot Varric a look of confusion, but the dwarf just grinned and shrugged.

Lirene looked like her eyes were about to pop out of her skull. Three people had just walked in to her store and in ten seconds just filled her donation box with enough money to provide the bare necessities for everyone under her care for months.

"Alright, you have my attention," she said in awe. "How can I help you?"

"We hear you know where we can find a Fereldan Grey Warden," Garrett stated. Lirene was immediately put on the defensive.

"Only Fereldan Grey Warden I've heard of is sitting on the throne. Where out of the Blight's path now so why would you need a Grey Warden?" she asked with a scrutinizing stare.

"The healer was one once, wasn't he? A Warden?" a woman behind Garrett asked out loud.

Garrett looked back at Lirene with a raised brow while she looked at the poor women with a look that could kill.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you: it's rude to eavesdrop?" she asked angrily causing the woman shrank back in embarrassment.

"Something you want to share with us?" Garrett asked patiently. Lirene sighed in annoyance before speaking again.

"Look, dozens of people come in here every day either to weak or too sick to help themselves," she explained. "The Warden you're looking for, Anders, he helps these people out of the goodness of his heart. He's closed their wounds, delivered their children! He's a good man and I will not lose him to the blighted templars!"

"Templars?" Garrett asked in confusion. Then realization dawned on her face. "He's a mage!" he exclaimed quietly.

"Would I stick my neck out for some purveyor of hensbane and leeches?"

"Relax, miss, I don't want cause trouble for anyone," Garrett explained calmly. "We just need his help with something, nothing more."

"How can I trust you?" she asked still skeptical. "I'm grateful for your contribution to these people, ser, but I hope you can understand my distrust of Kirkwallers."

"I'm not a Kirkwaller, miss. My name is Garrett Hawke; I was born and raised in Fereldan, in the village of Lothering. And like you, I can understand not wanting to lose someone to the templars," he said as he placed a hand on Bethany's shoulder.

"You mean she's…"

Lirene looked at them in shock. She had guessed that by the amount of money they had that they couldn't possibly be one her fellow countrymen or a hiding apostate for that matter . She relaxed upon hearing this new information.

"Your intentions are not ill?" she asked

"I give you my word," Garrett said sincerely.

"Alright, then," she said as she ushered Garrett to the back room out of hearing range of anyone like that nosy woman. He and Lirene returned a minute later.

"Information hardly seems like a fair trade for your generous contribution," Lirene stated. "You look like a man of action. Perhaps you'll get more use out of this than anyone else," she said as she reached out from underneath the counter and laid down a crossbow and a small quiver of bolts.

"You'd just give me this?" Garrett asked in surprise.

"We Fereldans should look out for each other," Lirene said with a smile.

Garrett smiled back and picked up the weapon. He had some experience with crossbows from his time in the Cailan's army and from a few jobs with the Red Iron. This weapon was definitely good to have in the field.

"Varric, what's your professional opinion?" Garrett asked as he handed the crossbow to the dwarf.

Varric examined the weapon like a jeweler examined diamonds. He checked the weight, the sight, the bolts, everything. When he was finished, an appraising smile crossed his features.

"Whitewood… light… iron knockback bolts… this is a finely made weapon, Hawke… but of course it's got nothing on Bianca," Varric stated.

"In that case, we'll take it. Thank you Lirene," Garrett said as took back the crossbow.

He placed the bow on his back using the harness Lirene provided along with quiver before leaving the store.

"I'm impressed, Hawke; I thought I was going to be doing all the talking, but you got some decent negotiating skills," Varric commented.

"Don't forget that I got a free weapon too. It's great being so charismatic," he said cockily.

"Oh get over yourself!," Bethany said before punching her brother in the shoulder. "And thank you for making that donation, Varric. I know we're supposed to be saving our money, but-"

"Don't mention it, Sunshine," Varric said dismissively.

"Hey you!"

The group turned around to see three men walking out of the Imports Shop. One of them carried a pair of daggers, one carried an axe, the last one held a rusty short sword.

"We know you're looking for the healer!" their apparent leader said angrily. "We know what happens to mages in this city. We won't let you make trouble for the only man in this city who gives a damn about us refugees."

Garrett didn't want to fight these men; they wouldn't stand a chance. He could tell these men weren't fighters, but they were still willing to lay their life down for this healer, Anders.

"As I said to Lirene, I mean no harm to your healer," he said calmly.

"Why should we believe you?" the man snarled. "You Free Marchers have done nothing but treat us Fereldans like Darkspawn shit since we got here!"

"We're Fereldans trying to avoid the eyes of the templars as well," Garrett stated "I won't hurt your healer, I just need his help."

"Y-You're Fereldan?" The man asked in surprise. "But you're clothes! I-I thought for a Kirkwaller, sorry! Maker bless the rule of our King Alistair," he said with a proud smile.

"Long live the King," Garrett said with a smile of his own before continuing on his way.

"This Anders must be a great man if people are willing to lay their lives down for him," Bethany stated.

"He's the only one helping them," Garrett said with a hint of irritation.

"Let's hope that generosity extends to lending us those maps," Varric said with a chuckle.

"Wouldn't it be great if it were that easy," Varric said sarcastically.

"If only, Hawke," Varric replied with a sigh.

* * *

Garrett often wondered how the mere stench of Darktown wasn't enough to kill everyone down there. As he and his group took the lift downward into Kirkwall's bowels, that familiar odor of sewage and human waste invaded his nostrils. Having done quite few jobs for the Red Iron down there, he had grown use to it, but always had to brace himself for the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that led to him retching upon his first visit there. He pitied Fang, who was doing his best to cover his nose. Only in Darktown would a mabari's keen sense of smell be a liability.

As they got off the left, Hawke heard a familiar voice calling him over.

"Hawke is that you?" asked a scrawny elf behind a table across from the left.

"Tomwise," Hawke greeted. "Still dealing in slow painful deaths, I see."

"Well, ever since you showed up in Kirkwall, business has never been better," the elf said with a friendly grin. ""By the way how did that wasp spider poison I gave you work out?"

"Like a charm, Tomwise. As always you outdid yourself," Garrett said with a grin.

"So you're done with the Red Iron?" the elf asked curiously.

"Fortunately, yes."

"That's too bad; you were my best customer, Hawke," the elf said slightly disappointed.

"Don't give up on me yet, Tomwise. I still might need poisons in the future and when I do, I'll know who to visit."

"In that case, you can have these on the house," Tomwise said happily as he laid down a small satchel. Garrett peeked inside and found three miasmic flasks and one vial of wasp spider poison. "Call it a gift for my number one customer."

"Thanks, Tomwise, I owe you," Garrett said before and his party continued on their way.

"Your reputation precedes you," Varric commented.

"It's always good to have friends," Garrett replied with a grin.

The group had to remain wary as they walked through the streets of Darktown. The people down there were more desperate than the people in Lowtown and would do anything to survive. They also had to keep an eye out for the Coterie who were supposedly more prominent in Darktown than any other part of Kirkwall. Garrett had managed to avoid dealing with them since he arrived in Kirkwall and he wanted it to stay that way for as long as possible. The Coterie was the most notable criminal organization in Kirkwall and the last thing Garrett wanted was to wind up on their shit list.

He remembered what Lirene had told him back at the shop. 'Look for the lantern' she said, but she provided no specific location. The last thing he wanted to do was waste an entire day in Darktown looking for a damn lantern. Fortunately, it seemed the Maker would be giving him a break today. About twenty yards away he spotted it: a single lantern hanging near the entrance to what appeared to be a dilapidated warehouse of some kind.

"This is it!" he informed the group. "If what Lirene told me is true, our Warden should be in there."

"Then what are we standing around here for? Let's get those maps!" Varric said excitedly.

They walked towards the building and looked inside to find a small group. Two of them, a man and a woman, were standing over a cot that was occupied by a small child. On the opposite side of the cot was a blonde man with a stubble and wearing a jacket with feathered pauldrons. Once Garrett saw what the man was doing to the boy, he understood why this man was such a renowned healer. The blue mana that perspired from his fingertips and radiated over the boy's body proved that this Grey Warden, Anders, was a mage. Now all the secrecy made sense; the last thing the destitute of the city wanted was the one man that was providing them with free health care to be taken by the templars.

When the Warden finished healing the child, he almost immediately fell back on his ass before catching himself on the pillar behind him. Obviously this particular healing had drained a significant amount of his energy. After giving this man their gratitude, the family left the make-shift clinic.

Garrett and his group made their way to the Warden, who appeared to be still catching his breath. Before Garrett could even open his mouth, the Warden grabbed his staff that had been leaning against the wall and turned to face them.

"I have made this place a sanctum of healing and salvation! Why do you threaten it?" he demanded.

His outburst made Garrett take an involuntary step back. Fang growled audibly at the Warden, looking like he was ready to pounce on his master's command.

"Easy boy," Garrett said to his loyal hound. Fang stopped growling, but kept his eyes on the Warden, just in case.

"Are you the Grey Warden, Anders?" Garrett asked calmly.

"Former Grey Warden," Anders responded, though his posture remained rigid.

"We have something to ask you."

"Did the Wardens send you to bring me back? Forget it! Those bastards made me get rid of my cat!" Anders said angrily. "Poor Ser Punce-a-lot; he hated the Deep Roads," he muttered, with a hint of sadness this time.

"You brought a cat named 'Ser Pounce-a-lot' into the Deep Roads?" Garrett asked fighting back the urge to laugh.

"He was a gift and a noble beast!" Anders stated proudly, his posture finally relaxing some. "Almost got ripped in half by a gunlock once. He swatted the bugger on the nose. Drew blood too. But the blighted Wardens said he made me too soft."

"I can't imagine why?" Garrett heard Varric mutter sarcastically.

"Sounds like you have no love for the Wardens," Garrett commented. "Is that why you came to Kirkwall?"

"You say that like it's a small thing!" Anders said disdainfully. "Yes, I'm here because there's no Warden outpost, no Darkspawn and a whole bunch of refugees to blend in with. And some reasons of my own. But I doubt you're here to know my life story, so why _are_ you here?"

"We're interested in getting into the Deep Roads," Varric explained. "We heard you were a Warden and thought you might now of a good way to get in."

"Any information you have could help save lives down there," Garrett added, trying to appeal to this man's nature as a healer.

"I will die a happy man if I never have to think about the blighted Deep Roads again," Anders said coolly.

"We can make it worth your while," Garrett tried again.

"Don't try to buy me!" Anders said, offended. "I'm not interested in…" A look of contemplation suddenly crossed Anders features. Maybe these people were just what he needed. "Although…a favor for a favor? You help me, I help you? Does that sound like a fair deal?"

Garrett let out a an annoyed sigh.

"It's always something…" he mumbled.

"What was that?" Anders asked.

"Nothing, what do you need me to do?"

Garrett couldn't imagine what a Fereldan Grey Warden apostate could want with him, but he needed those maps. As long as Anders didn't ask him to march up to Knight-Commander Meredith's office, knock on the door and throw a pie in her face when she answered, Garrett was sure he could handle it.

"I came to Kirkwall to aid a friend. A mage and a prisoner in the wretched Gallows," Anders explained with a scowl upon mentioning the Gallows. "The templars learned of my plan to free him. Help me get him safely past them, and you shall have your maps."

Garrett shook his head in frustration.

"Is there anything else, you could have me do? Preferably something that doesn't involve the templars? You're not the only one that needs to avoid them."

"What reason could you possibly have to avoid the templars?" Anders asked curiously.

"_He _doesn't, I do" Bethany spoke up.

Anders looked to her curiously and then noticed the staff strapped on her back.

"You're harboring an apostate?" he asked sounding somewhat impressed and relieved.

"No, I'm protecting my sister," Garrett clarified.

"Oh!" Anders said, suddenly feeling a little awkward. "Well in that case I can understand your reservations about this task, but I also hope that you can understand my need to protect someone I care about from the templars as well."

"…I don't know," Garrett said still unsure.

"Well think about it." Anders said. "I've already sent word to Karl to be in the chantry tonight. If you want my maps meet me there. If not, then good luck on your expedition," he said with finality before tending to his next patient that walked in.

Garrett and his group left the clinic and decided to discuss their next move at the Hanged Man since they deemed Darktown too risky to discuss business. Once they made it to Hanged Man and entered Varric's suite, the dwarf addressed the main issue.

"Look, Hawke, I know how you feel about this and believe me, I understand, but we need those maps. Without them, we might not be able to get into the Deep Roads safely," he said.

"I know that and I agree, but what about Bethany?" he asked.

"I don't want trouble with the templars, but if it needs to be done, then I'll do it," Bethany said, even though her face gave away her obvious apprehension of the idea.

"Are you sure, Sunshine?" Varric asked.

"I am," she replied. "I've been fleeing from the templars my whole life, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid to fight for my freedom like father did."

"I guess it's up to you, Hawke, she's your sister," Varric said, looking up at his partner.

Garrett looked to his sister. "Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked. Bethany only nodded. "Alright then, but the second- I mean the very second- it gets bad, I want you to hide. Do you understand?"

"Yes, brother."

"Good. Then we'll meet Anders at the chantry tonight."

* * *

When Garrett and his group arrived at the chantry, Anders was pacing outside in front of the chanter's board waiting for them and looking rather nervous.

"You decided to help?" he asked, his tone hopeful.

"Yes, we'll help your friend escape, but I better see those maps when this is over," Garrett warned.

"You will, I promise," Anders said sincerely. "Were you followed?"

"No, that's what I brought Fang for," Garrett said indicating to the mabari at his side. "If we were followed, he would have alerted us."

"Perfect, now quickly, let's get inside. I'll handle the talking, you watch and the dog watch for templars," Anders said briskly.

The five of them entered the chantry as quietly as they could. It seemed all the sisters, mothers, and the Grand Cleric were asleep. Still, they had to tread softly; the Kirkwall chantry was cavernous and even the soft steps of Fang's paws hitting the tiled floor created a soft echo.

"Where is he?" Garrett asked quietly.

"Follow me," Anders replied and led them up towards the staircase to their right, which led to the personal quarters of those that lived within the chantry.

In one of the open bedrooms, they found a man with their backs to them staring at an armoire. Based on the robes he was wearing, he must have been the mage they were seeking.

"Karl!" Anders called out, clearly happy to see his friend, but Garrett noticed that Karl didn't even react.

He then heard Fang growling and looked down to see his loyal mabari facing the banister. He also heard the light clanking and shifting of armor.

"Anders, I know you too well," Karl stated stoically, still keeping his back to the group. "I knew you would never give up

"What's wrong? Why are you talking like-"he stopped midsentence when Karl turned around and revealed and dull read sun engraved on his forehead.

"I was too rebellious. Like you. The templars said I needed to be…made an example of."

"No!" Anders said in horror.

"Anders, we need to leave! Now!" Hawke said as he grabbed Anders arm.

It was too late, however. Half a dozen templars quickly appeared behind them, four with drawn swords and two with crossbows.

"How else will mages master themselves?" Karl continued. "You'll understand Anders, once the templars teach you to control yourself."

"Shit!" Varric cursed.

"I'll say!" Garrett said as his fingers tensed, itching to grab his daggers.

"This is the apostate," Karl stated as pointed to Anders.

"No!" Anders roared before falling to the floor. The air suddenly became heavier and Anders began radiating with a blue and black aura. Cracks in his skin began forming and started leaking mana. Even his eyes glowed bright blue. When Anders stood back up, he gripped his staff and spoke to the templars in a loud, chilling voice that was not his own. "You will never take another mage as you took him!"

Garrett and the others didn't even have time to be astonished before one of the templars shouted "Abomination!" and began charging at them.

"Varric, Fang, protect Bethany!" Garrett ordered as he drew his daggers.

"You got it, Hawke!" Varric said as he drew Bianca while Fang gave an affirmative bark.

Without her magic, Bethany was given a severe handicap. Their father had taught her how to use her staff as a melee weapon, but she was still pretty green and their enemies were trained warriors. He wasn't taking any chances with his sister, so he would have her sit this fight out.

Anders made the first attack on a templar that had gotten to close by unleashing a powerful bone crushing blast of physic energy that sent the unfortunate man flying over the banister and onto the ground floor.

The impressive feat had made Garrett take his eyes off the two templars that were charging him. Both lashed out with their swords, immediately putting Garrett on the defensive. He parried and overhand slash from the right while he held off a blow from the one on his left. He quickly sidestepped a thrust from the templar on the right and quickly took old of his outstretched arm and kicked the other templar back on his rear. He just barely managed to miss a bolt that whistling by his head from one of the other two templars. The templars whose arm he had tucked under his arm suddenly struck Garrett in the side of his head with the shield causing him to loose hold of his arm. The room was now spinning and Garrett could feel blood drip down the side of his head for where the edge of the shield had connected. He almost wasn't able to deflect the blow from the templar he had kicked to the ground. Luckily the templars with the crossbows had taken cover behind the nearby pillars from a both Varric's cover fire and Anders current rampage otherwise he wouldn't have been able to dodge another bolt. The templar continued his assault on Garrett, who was still disoriented from the blow to the head. Garrett could see the other templar coming up from his right flank out of his peripherals and realized he had to kill the templar quickly. When the templar thrust his blade forward, Garrett placed his dagger on top of it and deflected it towards the floor. Garrett followed up by quickly weaving around the templer and embedding the dagger into a weak spot in the center of the templars back, effectively severing his spine. Garrett quickly removed the dagger and allowed the dead templar to fall to the floor before blocking another sideswipe from the other templar. The templar followed up with a shield bash that nearly broke Garrett's nose and cause him to lose focus and then another that pushed him up against the wall. He was tired of being pushed around by this templar. Though his vision was a little blurry, he still managed to move away from the powerful thrust of templar's sword, allowing the weapon to imbed itself in the wall. Garrett didn't let up. As soon as the templar's sword stuck itself in the wall, Garrett lashed out with a powerful kick against the templar's outstretched arm. The force caused the templar's elbow to break and left his arm limp and useless. The templar screamed in agony as his broken arm dangled at his side. Before Garrett could celebrate, he saw one of the crossbow templars peek out from behind the pillar with his weapon aimed at him. Without a second though, he grabbed the injured templar next to him and used his body to shield him from an incoming bolt. The bolt pierced through the templars back and out through his front where his heart was causing his now dead body to go limp.

Before the templar could fire off another bolt, Varric fired a clean shot into his neck just below his helmet. The templar dropped his crossbow and collapsed to the ground, dead. Garrett looked to see the lifeless body of another templar close to Anders, who was preparing to finish off the last one. Anders unleashed a much more powerful form of the Winter's Grasp spell Bethany used, which froze the templar in an instant. Anders finished him off by taking the butt of his staff, where Garrett saw a blue ethereal claw form, and smashed the icy templar to pieces using the disembodied appendage.

When it was over, the ethereal aura that had consumed Anders dissipated and his eyes returned to normal.

"A-Anders?"

The former Grey Warden turned around to see Karl staring at him in bewilderment, something a Tranquil shouldn't have been able to express.

"Anders, what did you do?" he asked his voice devoid of its previous monotone. "It's like…you brought a piece of the Fade into this world. I had already forgotten what that feels like!"

Everyone in the room stood in shock. Anyone who knew anything about mages knew that once they were made Tranquil, they lost all connection to the Fade and with it, their magic and emotions.

"Aren't the Tranquil supposed to be cut off from the Fade for good?" Garrett asked his sister who only shrugged in confusion.

"When you're Tranquil, you never think on your life before, but…it's like the Fade itself is inside Anders, burning like a sun!" Karl explained.

Garrett had to wonder about that statement. The Fade was inside Anders? He supposed it made some sense since Anders had just revealed to them that he was an abomination. He was going to a few choice words for the apostate Grey Warden, for concealing this fact from him and for forcing him to kill the templars.

"Please, kill me before I forget again!" Karl suddenly begged as he grabbed hold of Anders' shoulders. "I don't know how you brought it back but it's fading!"

"Karl, I…I can't!" Anders exclaimed looking as if he was on the verge of tears.

"Maybe there's a way to keep him from becoming Tranquil again?" Garrett suggested, though he knew it was probably fruitless.

"Can you cure a beheading?" Anders asked angrily. "The dreams of Tranquil mages are severed; there's nothing left of them to fix."

"I would rather die a mage then live as an… an empty puppet to the templars!" Karl declared.

Garrett could understand Karl's desire. He wanted to die a mage, as a free man, and being able to feel happiness one last time. He took his dagger and pressed the handle in to Anders palm. The mage looked up at him with hopelessness in his eyes.

"It's what he wants," Garrett said.

Anders looked at the dagger in his hands and knew that Garrett was right. He would rather die than live his life as a Tranquil. He wouldn't let someone so dear to him live such a pathetic excuse of a life.

"I'm sorry, Karl," Anders said as he hugged his dear friend. "Goodbye."

With that, he stabbed Karl in the side. Karl let out a pained cry before slowly smiling. "Thank you, Anders," was the last thing he said before the life left him.

Anders laid Karl's body down on the ground and tried to his best to hold back the tears. He wanted to bury Karl properly, but he knew they had to escape from the Chantry before more templars showed up.

"Let's get out of here."

The group then fled the Chantry, leaving the massacre behind them.

* * *

The group had been quiet ever since they fled the Chantry. The air around them had been tense. So many question flooded Garrett's mind about what had happened back there along with the anger he felt towards Anders for nearly getting them arrested by the templars and having his sister pressed into bondage at the Gallows. When they got back, Anders would have some serious explaining to do and he damn well had better hand over those maps.

When they made it back to the clinic, Garrett let Anders have it.

"What the hell happened back there?" he demanded as he grabbed a hold of Anders and slammed into a nearby support beam.

"Look, I know you have questions-" Anders began, but Garrett cut him off and jostled him once more.

"I have more than questions for you, mage!" Garrett snarled. "You almost got us killed! What, did it just slip your mind to tell us that you were an abomination?"

Thankfully the clinic was empty and Anders didn't have to worry about his patients discovering his secret.

"Hawke, calm down," Varric said calmly. "He can't tell us if you break his neck."

"Listen to your friend; let me go and I'll explain," Anders stated evenly.

Garrett continued to glare at the ex-Grey Warden, but after taking a deep, calming breath, he released his hold on him.

"Start talking," he said.

"It's difficult to explain…" Anders said with a sigh. "When I was in Amaranthine, I met a spirit of Justice who was trapped outside the Fade. We became good friends who recognized the injustices mages face every day."

"A spirit or a demon?" Garrett asked with a scrutinizing stare.

"Believe it or not, there are beings in the Fade that stand in opposition to demons. Instead of embodying the vices of man, the spirits embody our virtues. They are the Makers first children…and they have all but left this world."

"I've never heard of this," Bethany said in wonderment.

"The templars don't want you to. They believe a mage that would accept a virtuous spirit is just as bad as a blood mage who gives themselves to a demon," Anders said with a hint of irritation.

"So this Justice is inside you?" Garrett asked.

"To live outside the Fade, he needed a host," Anders explained. "I wanted to help him, so I volunteered to become his vessel."

"Something tells me it didn't turn as good as you probably hoped, though," Garrett stated.

"Not exactly. When we joined, he…I guess I just had too much hatred. He changed," Anders said sadly.

"How?" Bethany asked.

"My hatred towards the templars corrupted him," Anders stated. "Whenever I see templars now, things that have always outraged me, but I've never been able to do anything about…_he _comes out and he is no longer my friend Justice. He is a force of vengeance…and he has no grasp of mercy."

"So when you discovered what they did to your friend back there- that was Justice?" Garrett asked.

"Yes it was," Anders replied with a nod. "I'm sorry about what happened, I truly didn't know."

Garrett considered everything Anders had told them. The man had clearly took a great burden upon himself in order to help a friend. From what Garrett knew of mages, he knew that dealing with the creatures of the Fade was never something you could predict the outcome to. As undoubtedly skilled as Anders was at magic, there was no way he could possible have predetermined the outcome of his current predicament.

"Well…I suppose it wasn't entirely your fault," Garrett admitted. "Your apology is accepted."

"Thank you," Anders said with a light smile. "You're the first people I've ever told this to. Can I trust you to keep this a secret?"

"Of course you can," Bethany spoke up then looked to her brother. "Right?"

"Sure, what's one more secret to keep from the templars?" Garrett asked sarcastically with a grin.

"This is one hell of a story, but for your sake Blondie, I'll keep it to myself," Varric added.

"I'm grateful," Anders said before heading for the small desk and retrieving something from one the drawers. "My maps are yours," he said as he handed the vellums to Garrett, "as am I if you wish me to join you."

"Well, why don't we discuss that over drinks at the Hanged Man?" Garrett suggested with a friendly smile.

"You'd drink with an abomination?" Anders asked in surprise.

"If he buys us a round, sure," Garrett said mirthfully.

"Fair enough," Anders said with a chuckle.


	8. Dirty Dealings

**Author's Note: First, I can't tell you how glad I am that I got this chapter posted before Tuesday. With Batman: Arkham City coming out on that day and me getting some sleep after class before going to the midnight release tomorrow night, I might not have ever have gotten this chapter up if I didn't get to leave work early to work on it. It's for those same reasons that I might not get to work on this or any other story as hard as I should, but come on people; I've been waiting for this game for over six months now, give me a break.**

**On a note related to this story: I understand there are two new DLCs available for this game; Legacy and Mark of the Assassin. I regret to inform you all that those will not be in this story. I have yet to purchase either of them and since money is rather tight right now, I won't be able to for the foreseeable future. I'm sorry if this disappoints anyone, but if I am able to get either of them and work them into this story somehow, I promise you all I will try.**

**DISCLAIMER~ Dragon Age 2 is the property of Bioware...and I think Electronic Arts, but don't quote me on that last bit.**

* * *

After what had happened in the Chantry the night before, Garrett felt more nervous than usual when he walked into the Viscount's Keep. So far, all that had been reported was that the bodies of six templars and one Tranquil mage were found on the second floor of the chantry by the one of the sisters. Garrett wouldn't have been too concerned if it were only the city guard handling the case, but as soon as the Knight-Commander had heard news of dead templars, the Order had assumed control of the investigation.

Luckily, Varric had said he would take care of covering their tracks. Whatever that meant, Garrett did not know, but he wasn't about to turn down a "get out of the Gallows free" card. Varric had connections; might as well make use of them.

Now that they were in possession of Anders' maps, Garrett and his motley crew- sans Fang, who had been left to look after Leandra- decided to get to work on making the necessary funds for the expedition. Garrett took up on Bethany's first suggestion, and decided to pay Aveline a visit.

Shortly after Garrett and his family got into Kirkwall, Aveline decided that she wanted more than the life of a mercenary. At first she felt guilty because she felt as though she might have been betraying Garrett, but he dismissed her guilt and told her to do what she felt she needed to do. Paying for his uncle's idiocy was Garrett's burden to bear; Aveline didn't need to suffer. So she soon joined the city guard. Even though they were opposite sides of the law for a time, as long Garrett didn't cross too far over the line, Aveline had no problems being his friend.

"I must admit, I wasn't expecting my first trip with you to be to the Viscount's Keep," Anders said with a hint of nervousness as they walked through the main hall. "Why are we here again?"

"To see if our friend in the guard has work for us," Bethany answered.

"We couldn't meet her outside on patrol or something?" Anders asked as he cast nervous glances around the room. It seemed he was just as worried as Garrett about being caught for last night's massacre.

"Aveline takes her job very seriously," Garrett stated. "If she's not a patrol, you can bet she's here, waiting for her next assignment."

"So she's an "all work and no play" type of person?" Varric asked.

"Basically."

The group headed for the barracks and searched for Aveline. The found her staring at the duty roster against the wall, occasionally adding and removing vellums from the posting.

"Aveline!" Hawke greeted as walked up to his friend.

"Hello, Hawke," she replied flatly as she continued looking at the duty roster.

Garrett rolled his eyes. Aveline really did take her job too seriously.

"Been a while, hasn't it?" he tried again. This time, he got a real response out of her.

"What? Oh, sorry! It feels like we just talked," she said as she turned to face him and his group, eying the two she didn't recognize. "New friends?"

"And business partners," Garrett confirmed.

"So it is true. I've been keeping an eye on you Hawke. I always wondered what you would do after your debt was paid. Watch out for Bartrand; he's a son of a bitch," she said.

"I like her, Hawke," Varric said with a grin.

"How much of an eye have you been keeping on me?" Garrett asked curiously.

"Information is one of the few perks this job has to offer, Hawke; I might as well get some enjoyment out of it."

"You don't like being a guard?"

"Lately, I'm not sure," Aveline responded. "All I've gotten are dead patrols. Maybe I pissed someone off."

"You are a bit...forceful, Aveline," Garrett said choosing his words carefully.

"It's one of my charms," Aveline said with a small smile.

"No doubt about that," Garrett said with a smile of his own. "Anyway, Aveline, we came here for help."

"You need me to cover tracks?" she asked jokingly.

"No…not that you need to with my skill anyway," Garrett added smugly. Bethany and Aveline rolled their eyes at the comment. "We're in need of some serious money for this expedition. By any chance is there a bounty up for grabs or something the city guard needs help with?"

"Actually, I might have something," Aveline said in realization. "My patrols may have been dead, but there is something: an ambush. It's probably for a caravan, though I can't find any shipments that matchup. I intend to put a stop to it, my district or not."

"Where's the ambush taking place?" Garrett asked.

"West of Sundermount," Aveline answered. "Knight-Commander Meredith may have closed the gate, but the city guard still has some authority in this city."

"Any idea of who were up against?"

"Nothing you or I can't handle," Aveline said with a smirk.

Garrett decided it was an easy job with easy pay, but still, he wouldn't make the decision without the consent of business partner. He looked to Varric who merely nodded. Bethany was eager to help a friend and Anders just shrugged.

"Deal," Garrett finally said.

"I knew I could count on you, Garrett," she said with a smile. "Meet at the north gate in half an hour and remember you're acting on behalf of the guard. Behave yourselves," she added while looking towards Bethany and Anders before heading off to get ready.

"What was that about?" Anders asked.

"Aveline knows," Bethany answered. "She won't reveal our secrets, but she can't help us if we get caught."

"Which means none of this," Garrett said while tapping Bethany's staff, "unless absolutely necessary."

"I understand," Anders said.

"Good, then let's go."

* * *

"Incoming!" Varric shouted as he launched a volley of bolts into the air.

Everyone got clear if the plummeting projectiles with the exception of Aveline who crouched down and used her shield for cover. Bolts rained down on the ambush party Aveline had led them too. Several fell to the ground dead with two or three bolts in their bodies. That took care of the main group of the ambush, leaving a six crossbow men that had taken refuge behind the rocks and two heavy axe men who were charging at Garrett's group. Varric, Bethany and Anders took care of the crossbowmen while Garrett and Aveline decided to handle the axe men.

When they arrived at the ambush spot east of the mountains in the ruins of what Garrett supposed was an ancient city, the bandits almost immediately revealed themselves and attacked. There were more than Aveline thought there would be, but everyone in the group had dealt with bad odds before; this was just another day the office for each of them.

Anders began by casting an Arcane Shield spell on himself Varric and Bethany. The bolts that crossbowmen had already fired bounced off the protective field of mana surrounding them. With no one to rat them out, Bethany and Anders were free to cast their magic on the group of lowlifes without fear of being discovered. While Varric reloaded Bianca, Bethany unleashed a fireball at the crossbowmen. The projectile inferno struck one of them dead center in the chest and sent him flying. After Bianca was reloaded, Varric fired a pinning bolt at one the remained crossbowmen. The bolt hit one of them in the bicep of the arm that was holding his crossbow. Before the man's arm went limp, his trigger finger tensed and fired a bolt that when flying into Bethany's leg. The youngest Hawke sibling cried out in pain as she fell to the ground.

"Blondie get Sunshine some cover!" Varric shouted as he fired off a shrapnel grenade.

While the remaining bandits were running from cover from the incoming shrapnel, Anders scooped up Bethany and carried her behind a nearby boulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she grunted as tried to stand back up with her staff.

"Don't put any weight on it!" Anders exclaimed as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"We have to help Varric!" Bethany said as she tried to get out of his grip, but stopped when she got an idea. "Hold me," she ordered.

"W-What?" Anders asked in shock a light blush forming on his cheeks.

"I can't move so pick me up so I can end this!" she explained.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Anders said with a sigh as he helped Bethany climb onto his back.

The young mage gripped her staff tightly as Anders stepped out from behind cover just enough to give Bethany a view of their targets. She could see Varric was pinned down behind a collapsed stone archway.

"I could use a little help!" he shouted.

Bethany raised her staff atop Anders back and did her best to concentrate. Balls of fire began raining down from the sky onto the bandits who screamed as the infernos came colliding into them. One by one they fell and slowly burned alive from Bethany's Firestorm spell. The young mage slumped against Anders in exhaustion; it was the first time she performed that particular spell.

Not too far from the mages and dwarf, Garrett and Aveline were fairing much better since they were both trained soldiers. Aveline's opponent may have been stronger, but she was sturdier than she looked. Garrett was practically dancing around his opponent who was swinging his great axe with reckless abandon. He ducked under another horizontal swing and slashed at the spot behind the bandit's right knee. The bandit wobbled before losing his balance and falling to one knee leaving him wide open for Garrett. The rogue twirled his dagger in his right hand so it faced inward and jammed the blade into his jugular. The bandit gurgled before Garrett pulled the dagger out and pushed the dying man to the ground. He turned around to see Aveline get her shield knocked away from an axe swing and use her sword to block and overhead strike. Unfortunately, the bandit had the advantage of strength over the guard and managed to bring her down to her knees. Garrett thought quickly and reached for the crossbow on his back. He quickly loaded a bolt and knocked it back, aimed, then fired. The bolt soared straight into the back of the bandit's neck. He slumped forward, but at this point was merely just dead weight-literally- and was easy pushed away by Aveline.

"No need to thank me, Lady Vallen," Garrett said with mirth.

"I could have taken him, you know," she said with a light smile.

"You're welcome," Garrett said as he replaced the crossbow on his back.

As Aveline checked the body of the last dead bandit, Garrett saw Anders coming toward them with Bethany attached to his back. When he saw the bolt sticking out of her leg, he hurried his ass over to them.

"What happened?" he demanded. If Anders got his sister hurt, he would break his damn nose right then and there.

"She's alright, just tired," Anders said as Garrett helped him slide Bethany off his back.

"My sister has a crossbow bolt in her leg, Anders! That's 'alright' to you!" Garrett shouted.

"Stop yelling, Garrett!" Bethany said groggily. "It wasn't his fault."

"She's right, Hawke, it's mine," Varric admitted.

"No Varric, it was no one's fault," Bethany said. "Can you guys just get this thing out of my leg?"

"Sit her down," Anders instructed. Garrett did so and let Anders get to work. "You might want to hold her down," Anders warned as he gripped the bolt and broke the top part off eliciting a whimper from Bethany. He grabbed the other end and pulled it out of her leg with a quick tug. This time she screamed. Anders quickly cast a healing spell and placed his hands over Bethany's wound. Within seconds, the wound stopped bleeding and Bethany stopped wincing from the pain.

"She'll be fine," Anders said. "We just need to give her a minute to rest."

Garrett nodded his head in thanks before making his way to Aveline.

"That was a little hard than I thought it would be," he said.

"I know. These men were a little too well equipped to be common bandits," Aveline said in agreement. "Nevertheless, dead is dead and the road is clear."

"Works for me," Garrett said with shrug.

"Let's get back to the barracks. My captain will want to know of this and you have a reward to claim."

"Before we go, we should search these bodies for anything valuable," Garrett said causing Aveline and Anders to gape at him in shock.

"Hawke, bandits or no, these men are dead. We shouldn't loot their corpses while they're still warm!" Aveline said in disgust.

"She's right. It would make us no better than them!" Anders said with a disapproving glare.

"Believe me I don't feel any better about it than you do," Garrett admitted, expecting this kind of reaction. "But we are in desperate need of money and if we can get it anyway short of killing some innocent bystander, we should take it. We can't make the kind of money we need doing honest work. We'll have to take jobs that could potentially end with us dying. If can take shortcuts to avoid that I will."

"He has a point," Varric stated. "Looting a single silver from a dead bandit is better than walking into a giant spider's nest for one."

"So let's see if these men have anything valuable we can fence," Garrett said as he knelt down in front of the nearest body and began rifling through his pockets.

"I won't do this, Hawke!" Aveline said irately.

"I don't expect you to, Aveline," Garrett said as took a pouch full of silvers from the bandit's belt.

When he and Varric had picked the bandits of anything profitable they could find, the group made their way back to Kirkwall. Aveline and Anders didn't say a word to Garrett. Bethany didn't necessarily approve of her brother's action, but she understood them and Varric just chose to remain quiet and hope the tension defused itself.

'_It's gonna be a long walk back to Kirkwall,'_ he thought in annoyance.

* * *

"I don't know how they do it where you're from guardswoman, but I decide the patrols, not you and your whims!" shouted the voice of Captain Jeven, Aveline's superior.

After they arrived back at the Viscount's Keep, Aveline went to report their initiative to her captain. Garrett guessed his current reaction was not what she had been expecting. No more than two minutes had passed after Aveline walked into Jeven's office before the superior officer began shouting at her. He and the others were waiting patiently for Aveline's verbal lashing to cease before Jeven began shouting once more.

"You may have been put up for lieutenant in your first year, but I'll have no show-offs in my command! Have I made myself clear? Report to your post before I have you and your Fereldan accomplice jailed!"

Garrett was almost struck in the face when the door slammed open and Aveline stormed out. With the amount of force she put into, Garrett was sure that if he was an inch or two closer, he wouldn't have much of a face left. Before the closed itself after a hard rebound off the wall, Garrett could see the scowling face of Guard Captain Jeven glaring at Aveline's retreating back.

"Your captain seems very ungrateful," Garrett said to Aveline.

"We killed a band of highwaymen. What does it matter whose patrol it was?" Aveline asked irately. "This isn't the first time he's acted like this. Something is very wrong here."

"You think he's dirty?" Garrett asked.

"Too soon to tell, but he's definitely hiding something," Aveline responded.

"Guard Captain's a powerful position," Varric piped in. "It wouldn't be too surprising if he had his fingers in some less than savory pies."

"Well, all I know is he didn't pay us after we just risked our lives to make someone else's safer and that alone is enough for me to dislike him. So if you want to expose whatever it is he's doing Aveline, you can count me," Garrett said with a grin.

"Me too," Bethany chimed in.

"You're not going anywhere without your partner," Varric added with a smirk.

"I'll help too," Anders said.

"Thank you, all of you," Aveline said with an appreciative smile.

"So where do we start?" Garrett asked.

"First we should check the duty roster and see who was supposed to take that route," Aveline said before making her way to the roster. Before she could even check the postings, someone had called out to her.

"Aveline!" a female guard said as she made her way over to the redhead. "I owe you for clearing that ambush. You saved me a lot of trouble."

"Brennan, that patrol was yours?" Aveline asked in surprise.

It was," Brennan said with a nod. "Single patrol. I'd have been dead for sure."

"You haven't noticed anything strange about that route? Did you need even know about the ambush?" Garrett asked.

"It had been cleared for weeks. I hadn't even known about it until I heard the captain shouting at Aveline about it," Brennan answered. "I was about to head out there, but one of the other guards told me you had already gone."

"Have you noticed your captain acting strangely, lately?" Garrett asked.

"Not really, but…it's strange," Brennan thought out loud.

"What is?" Aveline asked.

"Before I was about to head off to my patrol, I told the captain that you had headed there already. He got so angry all of the sudden; I thought I had done something wrong. Then he just tells me to forget about it and bring the satchel to Donnic. Said it was urgent and I had to get it done immediately. "

"What's in the satchel?" Garrett asked curiously.

"Pay and order assignments and usually an updated copy of the roster," Brennan answered. "But the satchel was heavy this time, like there was more than a few pieces of vellum in it."

"Did you look inside?" Aveline asked.

"No, I really didn't think anything of it until now. It's probably nothing, though," she said with a shrug. "Anyway, I better get to my patrol. Thanks again Aveline," she said before taking off.

"So the satchel gets heavy the same day we discover an ambush?" Aveline asked out loud. "Quite the coincidence," she added sardonically.

"She did say it was for carrying pay. Maybe this guard, Donnic, earned a bonus?" Bethany suggested.

"Jevan giving a bonus? Knight-Commander Meredith would sooner marry a mage," Aveline stated.

"He's most likely passing some form of information along," Varric said.

"What do you mean?" Aveline asked him.

"If your captain's dirty, this satchel handoff is probably how he's getting information to his 'less than wholesome' friends," Varric explained. "Think about it: Brennan was supposed to head off on that patrol. If she had, she would have walked right into that ambush with the satchel. If your captain knew about it, he was probably using Brennan as a means of transporting information or payments to those bandits we killed. The satchel would have been taken, Brennan most likely would have been killed, and your captain sweeps it under the rug as a guard tragically meeting their end to an unexpected ambush in the line of duty."

"That does make sense," Aveline said.

"Which means that another guard is probably walking into the same trap," Garrett pointed out.

"We have to get there before bandits, slavers or whoever gets to him first then," said Anders.

"Then we need to find the guard who has the satchel. Brennan said his name was Donnic right?" Garrett asked Aveline.

"Yes…Donnic…a good man," Aveline said with a bit of a far off look as she started checking the duty roster for Donnic's assigned patrol. "I've got his route," she said, ripping off a sheet from the roster. "A night walk in Lowtown. Let's make sure his quiet patrol stays that way."

* * *

The group had headed for Lowtown at a brisk pace. They didn't know how far Donnic had gotten in his patrol and they wanted to make sure they got to him before anything bad happened. Once they passed the Hanged Man, Aveline spotted at guard with brown mid-length hair and mutton chops.

"There he is!" she exclaimed. "We have to warn him." She took a step forward, but was stopped by Garrett.

"Let's just follow him for now," he suggested.

"What?" Aveline asked, horrified. "Are you out of your mind?"

"I want to know who we're dealing with first," Garrett replied. "For all we know, he could be making his way towards a group of bloodthirsty Qunari. If we just charge into this ambush headfirst, someone will get hurt."

"So what do you propose we do?" Aveline asked challengingly.

Garrett reached for the small satchel hanging from his belt and pulled out a flask and showed it to Aveline.

"Spring a little trap of our own," he answered.

"I like it, Hawke," Varric said approvingly.

"Since Anders and I can't risk using magic in public, we'll need every advantage we can get," Bethany said in agreement.

"Fine, but I swear to you Hawke: if Donnic is killed because of this, I will throw you in jail, friend or no," Aveline said with a scowl.

"Duly noted, now let's go," Garrett said before following after Donnic.

The group followed him down a small alley that led to deserted open space. Garrett, Aveline, and Varric peeked around the corner to see Donnic being surrounded by four men wearing similar leather armor.

"This must be the guard Jeven told us about," one of them said.

"That cold bastard really sent one of his own to die!" another one said with a hint of admiration.

"What is the meaning of this? Who are you?" Donnic asked while reaching for his sword.

"Nothing personal, serah, it's just business. You're captain owes us money and we _will _get," the third one said as he unsheathed an axe from his back while the others drew there weapons as well.

"Anytime now, Hawke!" Aveline whispered angrily.

Garrett nodded and stepped out into the open with his flask in hand.

"Donnic, move!" he shouted before tossing the flask into the air.

Donnic turned at the sound of his name being called. All he saw was a man he didn't recognize toss something into the air. Then his brain had finally processed what this stranger had said and out of pure instinct, he dived out of the way.

The flask hit the ground and immediately shattered on impact. The chemicals that had once been contained reacted to the sudden exposure to oxygen and quickly created a large miasmic cloud. The four men were consumed by the miasma and immediately started dry heaving and stumbled about from disorientation.

"Now!" Garrett shouted as he unsheathed his daggers.

He and Aveline took in a deep breath before entering the miasma; they didn't want to start retching in the middle of battle. Garrett jammed his dagger into the stomach of one of the ambushers while Aveline performed a perfectly placed thrust into another's lung. Varric ended the life of the third ambusher with a bolt from Bianca dead center between the eyes and Anders twirled his staff and swung the hard blunt end of his staff into the head of the fourth, effectively cracking his skull.

When the fighting was over, Aveline rushed to Donnic's side along with Bethany and helped him to his feet

"Aveline? You certainly are a beautiful sight," Donnic said with a grateful smile.

Garrett wasn't sure, but he thought looked different about Aveline in that instant. Was she…blushing? Impossible! Aveline did _**not **_blush. It was dark out, he didn't know what he was seeing…but still…no! It just wasn't possible.

"Guardsman?" Aveline asked with a smile of her own.

'_It's. Just. Not. Possible,'_ Garrett thought adamantly.

"I was on patrol and they came out of nowhere. I'd be dead if you all hadn't shown up. The captain said this route was supposed to be quiet," Donnic explained.

"Do you have the satchel with you?" Garrett asked.

"Yes, right here," Donnic said as he unstrapped the satchel from his belt.

Garrett took it from him and opened it to check the contents. Bethany walked up beside him and looked in the satchel as well. What they saw were dozens of pieces of vellum. Some of them were pay and order assignments as Brennan had said, but the majority of them were items of much greater value.

"These have the seal of the viscount," Bethany stated as she pulled a few of the vellums out. "Office details, city accounts."

"That type of information would be most valuable to any intelligent thief," Anders said.

"Or a guild of thieves," Garrett added.

"It's more than that," Varric said.

Every turned to see the dwarf examining one of the bodies.

"What have you found, Varric?" Garrett asked.

"The armor on these men, they bear the insignia of the Coterie," the dwarf replied.

"Oh shit," Garrett cursed.

"So your captain was doing business with the Coterie then," Anders said to Aveline.

"And the documents he was about to hand over to them would definitely lead to a quick rise in power for them," Garrett stated. "With this type of information, the Coterie would have Kirkwall by the balls."

"A sacrificial delivery with one our own. Captain Jeven _**will **_answer for this!" Aveline said angrily.

"This type of scandal definitely won't help the City Guard's image," Garrett said as matter-of-factly.

"And a captain that uses his own men as unsuspecting lambs to do his dirty work looks better?" Aveline asked sarcastically. "I won't stand for it. The City Guard deserves better than him. We're taking this to the viscount now!"

* * *

Jeven was busy going over the patrol schedule. That damn Fereldan woman had ruined his first payment to the highwaymen near Sundermount and now he had to find new guards to carry his dues to his "associates". He wasn't too concerned over the little fish he owed money to. He was just glad he took care of his payment to the Coterie; the last thing he wanted was those bastards breathing down his neck. By now, that guard, Donnic, should have run into the debt collectors and be dead. He supposed he should prepare some heartfelt speech or letter to any family he might've had.

He was taken out of his thoughts when the door to his office burst open and in walked two guards followed by Seneschal Bran and that guardswoman, Aveline and her Fereldan accomplice.

"Seneschal Bran, what is the meaning of this?" Jeven asked sitting up from his desk.

"Arrest him," Seneschal ordered. The two guards nodded and grabbed Jeven by the arms.

"W-What are you doing?" Jeven demanded.

"Captain Jeven, you are hereby charged with bribery, conspiracy to commit murder, and treason against the city of Kirkwall," Bran stated.

"How dare you! I am Guard Captain! I won't be treated like this!" Jeven shouted as wrestled out of the grip of the two guards holding him before attempting to make a run for it only to be knocked on his ass by a clothesline from Garrett.

The guards placed Jeven's arms behind his back and clapped a pair of iron cuffs around his wrists before scooping him up.

"What proof do you have against me?" Jeven snarled.

"The documents containing the seal of the viscount that Guardswoman Vallen was kind enough to bring to Viscount Dumar's office after she and her companions saved a guardsman you were willing to sacrifice to hide your criminal dealings," Bran explained with disgust.

"Fereldan bitch! This was none of your affair!" Jeven shouted at Aveline. "I'll see you hanged! Quartered! This will not stand!" he continued to shout as the guards dragged him out of the office. Aveline only smirked triumphantly.

"How long will he go away for?" Garrett asked Bran curiously.

Bran regarded him with a hint of discuss. Garrett knew his type; a pompous politician who looked down on anyone that wasn't high society or someone worth kissing up to that could help better his station.

"I cannot say. His fate will be decided by the viscount in the end, but we did find a number of debts to…'suspect peoples. Such poor character," he said with a sigh before turning to Aveline. "But you, Aveline Vallen, have proven your loyalty and ability."

"The guard deserves better than him, messere," Aveline said dutifully.

"Indeed, and the viscount would have your care for the men be put into practice. You will assume the captain's position."

"What?" Aveline asked in shock.

"In due time, of course," Bran added to alleviate her obvious apprehension. He wasn't about to just toss the position on her and say "goodby and good luck". "There will be training, approvals and signatures to be signed. The whole thing should take months at least."

"Are you sure about this, messere?" Aveline asked.

"Who better to rebuild the respect of the City Guard than the woman who exposed this…embarrassment? I suggest you resolve any outstanding business you may have, Guardswoman. You will be very busy," Bran said before leaving Aveline and Garrett alone in the office.

Aveline just stood there stunned before turning to Jevens old desk...her new desk. She slowly walked up to it and gently brushed her fingers against the fine wood. Five minutes ago, she was just another face in the guard. Now she would become captain of those faces. A small smile appeared on her lips at the rising feeling of accomplishment and pride surging through her.

"Shall I give you and the…desk some privacy?" Garrett asked jokingly.

"Shut up!" Aveline replied with a laugh. "Thank you, Hawke. I owe you so much for this."

"That's what friends do," Garrett replied with a smile. "And you know what else friends do? They join their other friends for a congratulatory drink at the Hanged Man."

Aveline chuckled before nodding.

"Alright, I'll meet you there in an hour."

"See you there…Captain," Garrett said with mock salute before heading for the door.

"And, Hawke, close the door on your way out," Aveline added.

"Why?" Garrett asked curiously.

"So the desk and I can have some privacy," she said with smirk.

Garrett chuckled and did as Aveline said. Before he walked off, he stopped and took one final look at the door. Was she really…?

'_No, Aveline would never-would she?'_ he thought to himself.

He was tempted place his ear up to door and make sure everything was…normal, but then he realized that he was in a building full of guards and that type of act would not be very well received. So he quickly left, eagerly anticipating that first drink at the Hanged Man.


	9. The Woman From Rivain

**Author's Note****: No I am not dead and I come back to you with a new chapter. Things have been crazy these last three months. I'll spare you all the gory details, but suffice it to say, there was a family issue that forced me and my family to move** **out of our house. We have moved in with my sister and her husband for now and are planning on getting a newer, better place to live by the end of Spring. Adjusting has been slow, and the whole ordeal has caused me to seek a better job than my current one, so my writing has suffered.** **Don't worry though; as long as nothing happens to my hands-God forbid- I will continue to write.**

**I apologize for any inconsistencies and general sloppiness in this chapter. It has been some time since I've played DAII and I lost all my data when my 360 died for the final time. I've also been investing time in Mass Effect 1 and 2 because I lost all my old save files with the loss of my 360. Plus, Mass Effect 3 comes out in two weeks on my birthday, my 21st birthday to be exact!**

**DISCLAIMER~ Dragon Age II is the property of Bioware who makes amazing RPGs that if you have not played them yet, you clearly live under a rock.**

* * *

"Nora, a round for all my friends, here!" Varric called out to the barmaid as the group walked into The Hanged Man.

They all made their way to Varric's suite and sat at his long table. Nora brought in a large tray of ale for each of them. Once everyone had their mug, Garrett stood and raised his.

"I propose a toast to Kirkwall's newest captain of the guard, our very own Aveline Vallen." Everyone let out cheers and Aveline smiled proudly. "May her reign as captain be long and productive and may she let us get away with whatever we want!" Garrett added jokingly.

"Here, here!" Varric said with a laugh.

"Shut up and drink your ale," Aveline said with an eye roll.

"Here, here!" Varric chimed again before drinking from his mug, followed swiftly by everyone else.

"Seriously, Aveline, congratulations," Garrett said when he set his mug down.

"Thank you, Hawke, but it's not like I got here alone."

"Yeah, but you're the only one sitting here without a criminal record, that's got to count for something," Garrett said as a matter-of-factly.

"Actually, I think it would make her more of an outcast," Anders pointed out.

"No, it makes her a misfit like the rest of us," Bethany stated.

"I can't tell if you people are complimenting me or if I should start getting angry," Aveline said.

"It's all in good fun, dear woman," Varric said with a grin.

"So what will your first order as Guard Captain be?" Bethany asked curiously.

"First I'd have to clean up the mess Jeven left," Aveline replied. "After that, I'm not sure. I do have a month or two to think about it."

"So I suppose this means you won't have any time to pal around with us hardened criminals anymore?" Garrett asked mirthfully.

"I may be captain now, but I still know who my friends really are," Aveline said with a smile. "I'll help you in any _legal_ way I can."

"Good to know we have friends in high places, Hawke," Varric said before taking another swig of ale.

"Indeed, now if we could just get the Grand Cleric to drink with us," Garrett said causing laughter at the table.

After three rounds of ale and a couple of humorous stories from Varric, the group decided to call it a night.

"Maker, you people know how to drink," Anders said in amazement. He had a slight buzz after his three mugs of ale, which was more alcohol than he consumed within the last month alone.

"Stick with us long enough and you'll get use to it," Garrett said with a smirk.

"You better hope you don't wake up with a hangover, brother," Bethany said with a smug tone. Unlike Garrett, Bethany knew when enough was enough.

Garrett was about to retort when he noticed something at the bar, something with an exceptional set of legs.

At the other end of the bar was a woman with coffee colored wearing some kind of short- really short- white dress that hugged a very curvaceous figure with a blue cloth wrapped around the waist. Bistre-brown boots covered her legs all the way up to her thighs. She also sported some odd accessories for a woman. On both her hands were fingerless gloves that appeared to be cestuses and two metal elbow bracers, but only on her left arm did she wear a buckled bracer around her wrist and a metal spaulder on her shoulder. On her head she wore a blue bandana that covered her long dark brown hair. From the side Garrett couldn't see very clearly, but he saw enough to know she had a bust that matched the rest of her figure.

"Maybe I'll stick around," he said aloud with a sly smile crossing his features.

"Oh Maker, brother, have you no shame?" Bethany asked in slight discuss after she caught sight of the woman her brother had been staring at.

"I really wouldn't try soliciting her, Hawke," Varric warned.

"I won't hurt her," Garrett said with a dismissive wave.

"Who said anything about _you _hurting_ her_?" Varric asked.

"Varric, you know her?" Bethany asked curiously.

"All too well I'm afraid," the dwarf answered.

"She looks like a whore. I think you'd better look for something a little…cleaner, Hawke," Aveline suggested.

"Your advice is appreciated friends, but I know what I'm doing," Garrett said undeterred. It might have been the alcohol, but he was feeling rather daring.

"Well it looks like someone is about to beat you to it," Anders stated.

Garrett raised a brow at him and looked to see what he meant. Three men walked up to the woman. They all wore leather armor and carried weapons. They looked like simple bandits, but Hawke recognized them.

"It's just Lucky," he said with a light chuckle. "This might work more to my advantage than I thought."

Garrett knew Lucky form his time with the Red Iron. He met the pathetic excuse for a mercenary during a job. Lucky was and always would be an amateur. The man didn't work for any mercenary outfit; he was trying to create his own business. Too bad he was terrible at everything he got paid to do. Lucky wasn't a warrior like Garrett, he was a hustler with a sword and the men he worked with petty thieves and backstreet brawlers.

Fortunately for Garrett, Lucky was also a terrible womanizer. There a couple of times when Garrett had caught Lucky trying to seduce a woman in the Hanged Man and he got rejected every time and when that happened Lucky got physical. It would be at that point, that Garrett would step in and save the poor woman and win her affections. Worked every time.

It appeared that history was going to repeat itself. After Lucky had spoken to the woman and she spoke back, Lucky slammed his hand down on the bar and said something that no doubt was a threat. This would be the point where Garrett would step in and play the heroic savior, but the opportunity was taken from him…by the girl of all people.

She grabbed the back of Lucky's head and slammed it into the bar two times before letting him slump to the floor. One of Lucky's men grabbed her from behind and tried to restrain her while another one grabbed a bottle from a nearby table. Just as he was about crack the bottle over her head, the woman slammed the back of head against the face of the man holding onto her, disorienting him and causing him to let the woman go and duck just as the other man had swung the bottle. The bottle shattered as it collided with the man's head and he fell to the floor. The woman set her sights on the man who swung the bottle and delivered a left and right cross to his face, followed by a knee to the gut and finished him off with a left elbow swing to the temple. When she turned and noticed that Lucky had gotten up from the floor and was reaching for his sword. Just as Lucky had drawn his blade, the woman had drawn a dagger from her back and held it up to his throat. Garrett didn't even notice the twin dagger she had been carrying; his mind was on…other things about her person.

"Tell me, Lucky, is this worth dying for?" she asked Lucky in a threatening tone.

Lucky appeared to be at a loss for words. He slowly back away from the woman and put his sword away. He helped his friends up off the floor and stormed out the Hanged Man. The woman smirked at their retreating backs and went back to the bar to finish the ale she had been drinking.

"Still feeling confident, brother?" Bethany asked teasingly.

"More like excited," Garrett replied with a grin.

"Are you serious?" Bethany asked in shock.

"Hawke, you really shouldn't," Varric warned.

"Why? Is she clean?" Garrett asked curiously.

"Well…yes…somehow, but that's not-"

"Then I've got nothing to worry about," Garrett said confidently before making his way to the woman.

Varric only sighed in defeat. "Sunshine, is it the alcohol that makes your brother oblivious to warnings?"

"No, that stupidity is just natural for him," Bethany replied flatly.

The woman looked up from the bar when she heard someone approach. She had thought Lucky had come back for a second round, but was surprised to see someone different. She examined Garrett up and down and she must have like what she saw because a grin crossed her features. Garrett examined her as well. Before, he only got a view of her side and most of what she had behind her. What she carried with her up front was just as appealing.

"My, and here I thought the only men in this place were besotted fools who couldn't hoist a mainsail."

"When you talk about "hoisting the mainsail", what do you really mean?" Garrett asked with a sly smirk.

"What else could it mean?" she asked. "It requires strength, knowledge of rigging, and a small measure of sobriety."

"Well then, you're in luck; I have all those things," Garrett replied.

"Hmm…and more it seems," she said with a sultry, appraising tone. "I'm Isabella. Previously "Captain" Isabella of the _"Siren's Call"_. Sadly, without my ship the title rings a bit hollow. Per chance might you be a Fereldan?"

"Last time I checked," Garrett answered.

"I knew it; you have that look about you. Maybe you're just what I need to solve a little problem I might have."

"No one in Kirkwall _ever_ has "little" problems," Garrett said matter-of-factly. He was starting to regret talking to this woman.

"Too true," she agreed. "But you look like you could handle yourself better than Lucky. That pathetic excuse of a man isn't worth the money he asks for."

"Wait a minute; you hired _Lucky _to do a job for you?" Garrett asked incredulously. "You haven't been in Kirkwall long have you?"

"No, I was in Denerim not too long ago. I've only been in Kirkwall for a couple of months. Why?"

"Miss, there's only one rule that you really need to know here in Kirkwall: don't hire Lucky."

"That's true, it's written on a sign when you enter the city. _'Welcome to Kirkwall! Don't hire Lucky!'_" Varric said mirthfully.

"Oh, well I entered through the port and missed that," Isabella said with a chuckle. "Who should I hire then?"

"Well my associates and I run a jack-of-all-trades kind of business. Any problem you have, we can do…for the right price."

"The low cost of your dignity and a night at the Blooming Rose," Bethany whispered to Aveline causing the two women to giggle.

"What did you hire Lucky to do?" Garrett asked curiously.

"I asked Lucky to track down something I lost, but I'm sure you can guess how that turned out. It's nothing to worry about now; I'll handle it on my own, but I need help with a more immediate problem."

"Which is?"

"Someone from my past has been pestering me." Isabella began. "I've arranged for a duel. If I win, he leaves me alone. But I don't trust him to play fair so I need someone to watch my back."

"Who is this person?"

"His name is Hayder. We use to work together in Antiva and he's never like me," Isabella responded. "He's been asking questions about me ever since he came to Kirkwall. I'd figure it'd be best to meet him face-to-face and put an end to it."

"Why a duel? Why not just kill him outright?" Garrett asked.

"Duels are my thing," Isabella replied with a chuckle.

"Well I think I can manage watching your back," Garrett said.

"I'll bet," Isabella said playfully. "I'm meeting Hayder in Hightown tonight. I'll meet you there." Then she left, giving Garrett a nice view of her swaying hips.

"So everyone, how about we-" Garrett began before Bethany cut him off.

"Did you suddenly turn into a pig over night?" she asked irately.

"What are you talking about?" Garrett asked, surprise by his sister's anger.

"You want us to do potentially life risking work just so you can tumble around with some girl you just met in a tavern?"

"I agree, Hawke," Aveline said with a nod. "This seems more like us doing you a favor."

"If you get a disease from her, I'm not healing you," Anders said with a light glare.

"Wait a minute, did I miss something or were we not in need of work?" Garrett rebutted. "Okay, I admit, my intentions with that woman might have been less than valiant when I first saw her, but that was before she became a potential client."

"Hawke, could I have a word," Varric asked.

Garrett looked at him questioningly, but followed Varric to the corner of the room by the fireplace away from the other.

"You may regret doing business with her, Hawke," Varric stated.

"How much do you know about her anyway, Varric?" Garrett asked.

"Isabella's a well-known pirate from Rialto Bay to the Waking Sea. She hasn't been in Kirkwall very long, but when someone with her kind of reputation just shows up here, I find it best to put my sources to work."

"And?"

"Word is she's looking for something; she's hired a lot of people to search for it, whatever it is."

"How's that bad?"

"I'm very good a reading people, Hawke," Varric boasted. "Isabella is nice enough as a person, but she's still a famous criminal and that always warrants mistrust. Whatever she's looking for, there's a big chance it's something bad."

"So I shouldn't do business with her then?"

"I'm not saying turn away her money," Varric clarified, "I'm just saying to be careful around her. She's a pirate and there are two things you need to know about pirates. One: there loyal only to the highest bidder. Two: when things get hot, they run."

"I understand, Varric, but if her money's good, I think it's a chance we have to take. We have to make the trip to Sundermount in the very near future and we'll unfortunately need to spend money on supplies. My point is we need money and we need it fast. If Isabella turns on us…then she's just another obstacle we need to break through."

"I'll trust your judgment here, Hawke. Just remember what I said."

"Will do, Varric," Garrett said before he and his dwarven companion rejoined the others.

"Well, Varric and I are going to help Isabella," he stated. "If you guys want to sit this one out, then feel free to head on home."

"Like I'd let you go alone," Bethany said with a snort. "This is my venture too you know."

"I'd go with you, but with the amount of spinning the room seems to be doing, as a healer I think I should lie down," Anders said.

"I don't think it's best for me to get involved. I'm Kirkwall's new captain of the Guard; I can't just go killing people for a few coins," Aveline said.

"I understand, Aveline. I'll try to keep some blood off the streets," he said with a smirk.

"How thoughtful of you," Aveline said sarcastically.

"And Anders, are you sure you'd be okay walking back to the clinic like this?"

"I'm not sure," Anders said with a shrug. "I'd rather not fall face first into some piss filled gutter in Darktown."

"You can crash in my suite for the night, Blondie. The last thing I'd want to hear is that some Carta thugs mounted you while you were passed out in the middle of Darktown," Varric said with a chuckle while pointing in the direction of his room.

"Thanks…?" Anders said with a raised eyebrow and sense of horror at Varric's choice of scenario.

"Looks like it's just the three of us tonight, Hawke," Varric said. "Four if you decide to bring your hound."

"That might be a good idea actually," Garrett replied. "Bethany, could you pick up Fang from Gamlen's place and meet us at the stairs to Hightown?"

"Sure. I'll be there in twenty minutes," she said before heading to fetch Fang.

Garrett and Varric bid goodnight to Aveline and helped Anders up to Varric's suite. After dropping the drunken mage on the bed, they left the tavern.

Bethany met them near the stairs to Hightown with Fang in tow. Fang barked excitedly upon seeing his master and appeared very happy to be out of Gamlen's stuffy hut.

"I told mother we were taking him out for a walk," Bethany stated.

"You think she'd be curious to find blood on him when you get back?" Varric asked.

"We'll just tell her he mauled another Lowtown rat; those things are big enough to cover him in blood just as well as any human," Garrett said.

"I'd buy that," Varric said with a nod. "Now let's hurry up and get to Hightown before Isabella's friends do."

* * *

They found Isabella pacing in the middle of Hightown Square. When she noticed the group coming towards her, stopped pacing and let out a sigh of relief.

"They you are! I was worried you wouldn't get her in time. Where's the red-head and the blonde?" she asked curiously.

"They couldn't make it, so we brought in a reserve," Garrett said gesturing towards Fang, who barked happily.

"A mabari? Well, you are full of surprises," Isabella said with a grin.

"So where's your man?" Garrett asked. He looked around and saw no one nearby. Were they early?

"He hasn't show up yet. No one has," Isabella said her tone serious. "He should have been here be now, though. I don't like this."

"'I don't like this'? That's usually up there with 'what could possibly go wrong?'" Varric said with a chuckle.

As if on cue the sound of multiple footsteps could be heard approaching. The group turned to see six people approaching them. Two with bows, three with swords and their leader, a brunette female, carried a large great axe.

"That's the wench we're looking for! Gut her!" the woman ordered as she drew her axe.

"_What could possibly go wrong?"_ Garrett mimicked Varric mockingly.

"I didn't actually mean it!" Varric defended as he drew Bianca.

"Less talking, more stabbing!" Isabella said as she drew her twin daggers.

She engaged one of the swordsmen while Varric dove behind the giant monument in the circle for cover and tried to get a clear shot at the archers.

Bethany used her staff to block a downward strike from a sword. Even though it was night, they were still in Hightown and there was always a chance someone could walk by or look out their window and spot her casting spells. Luckily, her father had taught her how to use her staff as more than a just a channel for magic. She deflected the sword to the side and brought the rounded metal end of staff up against her opponents jaw. The man howled in pain as his jaw broke from the impact.

Garrett used one dagger to block a strike aimed at his right side and the other dagger to deflect a blow that sough tot cut into his shoulder. He quickly wrapped his arm around the sword arm of his opponent and twisted upwards, effectively snapping the man's arm at the elbow. With one of his enemies crippled, Garrett was able to focus on one opponent. The second thug gripped his sword with both hands and swung down at Garrett as hard as he could. Garrett sidestepped the attack and slammed the pommel of his dagger into the man's throat. The man gagged and coughed up blood and Garrett ended his misery by slashing his throat. He turned to see the thug whose arm he had broken was reaching for his sword with his good arm. He was about to stop when he heard shouting behind him. He turned back around to see the brunette with the great axe raise her blade to cleave him in half. He dove to the side and the axe missed him by hair. Unfortunately, the thug on the ground was not so lucky. The exe chop that had been meant to kill Garrett had connected with his neck and severed his head. Garrett didn't have time to be thankful for narrowly avoiding death because the woman lifted her axe and engaged him.

Bethany twirled her around and swung her staff hard again the thug's blade. Despite his broken jaw, he kept on coming after the young apostate. She had been worried about the archers at first, but Varric had successfully taken one down with Bianca and was managing to keep the other at bay while taking cover behind the statue in the middle of the square. All he needed was that one split second.

"Come on, darling," he said as he stroked his beloved crossbow. "There's nothing you can hit."

He waited for several moments, ignoring the sounds of battle going on around him and focusing solely on his target. Then he saw it. His target had poked his head behind the corner about two inches, but it was all Varric needed. He pulled the trigger and the bolt went flying through the archer's left eye. His entire body went limp and he fell to the ground dead. With the archer dead, he assisted Bethany by shooting her opponent in the stomach and giving her an opening. She didn't need it, however, because the surprised thug was brought down by Fang who proceeded to tear out the man's throat.

Garrett found himself deadlocked with axe wielding woman. She didn't look it, but she actually quite strong. Garrett knew few men who could use such a cumbersome weapon so expertly, but this was the first woman he ever met that used such a weapon. He had to use both daggers just to keep the sharp blade away from his face. If he didn't do something quick, she would overpower him.

Luckily, he didn't have to.

The woman's eyes went wide and her mouth gaped open. Garrett felt the strength that had been pushing the axe down on him disappear and stood to the side as the brunette fell forward. Garrett saw why. In the back of her head was dagger with a golden handle. Garrett immediately recognized it as one of Isabella's daggers.

"Well that certainly quite a rumble," Isabella said nonchalantly as she sauntered her way over to the woman's lifeless body and wrenched the dagger from the woman's head.

"That was an impressive kill," Garrett commented. The blade had hit the woman square in the back of the head; not an easy target by any means, but Isabella's throw was dead accurate. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Oh here and there," Isabella said with a shrug.

"Could you be more specific about the 'here' and 'there' parts?" Garrett asked.

"I could…but I won't," Isabella said teasingly.

"Fine, keep your secrets then," Garrett said with a light chuckle.

"These are Hayder's men," Isabella stated getting back on task. "I knew he wouldn't play fair."

"We should search the bodies. There might be a clue to his location," Garrett suggested.

"Along with a few other valuable objects of monetary value," Isabella said with a smirk and a twinkle in her eye. "I'll take their stuff, you look for clues."

"Why do you get their stuff?"

"How else am I to pay you?" Isabella asked.

"You mean you hired us without having the money to so?" Garrett asked incredulously.

"I was hoping we could work out a…arrangement," she replied with a playful smirk.

"Oh…well fantastic then," Garrett said happily causing Bethany to palm her face and Varric to snicker in amusement.

Garrett searched the body of the brunette since she appeared to be the apparent leader while Isabella riffled through the pockets of the others. He found a small note in her pouch and read it over.

"_The girl will be in Hightown Square tonight. Kill her. Once she's dead meet us in the Chantry. It'll be safe. We got the Grand Cleric and her Chantry sisters secured._

_-Hayder_

Garrett's eyes widened as he read the note.

"They've in the Chantry! They've the Grand Cleric hostage!" he informed the group.

"They what?" Bethany asked in shock.

"That's very ballsy," Varric said. "A hostage like that would ensure safe passage from Kirkwall if things went wrong."

"But taking the Grand Cleric hostage? That's taking it way too far!" Bethany exclaimed.

"You don't know Hayder," Isabella stated. "He'd take Empress Celine hostage if thought he could."

"We have to stop him," Garrett said. "Let's get to the Chantry."

* * *

The Chantry doors burst open and Garrett and his group came running into the grand hall. He spotted Grand Cleric Elthina and several of the sisters tied up to chairs at the base of the Grand Cleric's altar. Luckily, they were unharmed.

"I should have known you'd find me here, Isabella," a voice called out. Garrett saw someone round the corner. He wore a suit of chainmail armor, had brown ponytail and carried a greatsword on his back. Behind him came five other men and women wearing similar armor.

"Next time tell your men to burn the letters, Hayder," Isabella said with a scowl.

"Release the Grand Cleric and the sisters," Garrett ordered, reaching for his daggers.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Hayder said with a smirk.

With a snap of his fingers, two of Hayder's men had crossbows aimed at Elthina's head. Garrett stiffened and shot Hayder a death glare before dropping his arms at his side.

"There's a good man," Hayder said, his tone condescending. "Castillion was heartbroken was heartbroken when he heard about the shipwreck, Isabella. You should have let him know you survived."

"It must have slipped my mind," Isabella replied with a shrug.

Hayder let out a dry laugh in response.

"Where's the relic?" he asked.

"I lost it. You can tell Castillion that he's just going to have to do without," Isabella replied.

"Lost it?" Hayder asked unconvinced. "Just like you 'lost' a ship full of valuable cargo?"

"They weren't cargo, Hayder, they were people!" Isabella said angrily.

"Those slaves were worth a hundred sovereigns ahead and you let the scurry off into the wilds because you decided to grow a conscience! And now the relics gone? Castillion won't be pleased, I promise you."

"Slaves? What's he talking about?" Garrett asked Isabella with suspicious look.

"Isabella's been a very bad girl," Hayder said mockingly. "Ruined a perfect business deal and then ran away. She didn't tell you?"

"I told him enough," Isabella replied angrily. "I told him I arranged for a duel, which I did! I also told him you wouldn't play fair, which you didn't." She turned to Garrett and gave him an apologetic look. "We can talk more about this later. Right now we have more important things to worry about."

Garrett nodded in agreement. He definitely had some questions for her, but at the moment the lives of the Grand Cleric and the Sisters were more important.

"You don't have to take them hostage," Garrett began calmly. "You can walk out of here without any trouble and not have to tell Castillion about Isabella.

Hayder scoffed.

"If I cross him, he'll kill me and my life is worth more than hers," he said with a glare.

"Then there's only one thing left for us to do," Isabella said with a smirk.

Before anyone knew what had happened, Isabella had grabbed one of her daggers and threw it with perfect aim into the neck of female warrior standing beside Hayder. She gurgled and spat up blood before collapsing to the ground.

Thinking fast, Varric and Garrett drew their crossbows and quickly shot the two archers that had their bows trained on the Grand Cleric. Both men fell dead as bolts pierced their skulls. Hayder and his last man looked at them in fear. They were outmanned and had both of Garrett's and Varric's reloaded crossbows aimed at them.

"Now wait a minute! Let's talk about this," he said nervously.

"Funny how they always want to talk after they get the shit kicked out of them," Varric commented.

"Come on, Isabella," Hayder said with a nervous chuckle. "We can work this out. We've known each for a long time. I'll leave Kirkwall tonight! I won't tell Castillion anything, I swear!"

Isabella smirked and casually sauntered her way over to Hayder.

"I believe you, you sweet thing…" she said as she cupped Hayder's cheek and leaned in closer to his face.

Just when it looked like she was about to kiss him, she thrust her dagger into his stomach and twisted it roughly. Hayder's face was one of pain and shock.

"I just don't like you," Isabella said scathingly before wrenching the dagger from Hayder's body and letting him slump face-first to the floor.

His remaining man watched in horror as his leader's blood began pooling around him on the Chantry floor. He looked towards a smirking Isabella who casually twirled her blade around her finger.

"Get lost," she said with a smirk.

He nodded frantically and took off running out the doors, leaving a trail of urine behind him. Garrett, Bethany and Varric watched the grunt run off before turning back to Isabella.

"She's frightening," Garrett muttered to Varric.

"Told you so," Varric replied smugly.

With the Hayder and his thugs taken care of, Garrett turned his attention to the Grand Cleric. He rushed towards the bound servants of the Maker and cut the ropes that kept them tied to the chairs.

"Thank the Maker! We're saved!" one of them shouted as she fell out of her chair.

"I thank you for what you have done, young man," the Grand Cleric said to Garret with an appreciative smile. "The Maker chose wisely when he sent you to save us."

"I don't know about that, your grace," Garrett replied politely. "I'm just glad we managed to get here in time."

"A shame it had to end like this," Elthina said sadly as she looked towards the dead bodies.

"It always is," Garrett replied in agreement.

"This marks the second night in the last week that blood was spilt in this holy place."

Garrett paled somewhat when he realized what she was referring to, but said nothing.

"What did they want with us?" one of the sister's asked fearfully.

"You were their 'get-out-Kirkwall-free-card'," Varric explained. "Perhaps you should consider not opening your doors to _everyone_."

"I am afraid I cannot do that, Ser Dwarf," Elthina said with a kind smile. "I must be willing to let in anyone seeking the grace of the Maker."

"Well perhaps you should consider asking your visitors to remove their weapons before they enter the Chantry then," Garrett suggested.

"In light of tonight's events, I may be inclined to agree with that," Elthina conceded with a sigh. "Still why did they need hostages?"

"Insurance," Isabella answered. "Just in case they couldn't keep killing me quiet."

Elthina regarded Isabella. She seemed to be examining her clothes, or lack thereof, and then Hayder's dead body laying at her feet. Garrett could tell that Elthina was already forming some pretty poor opinions about Isabella.

"And what is that you do, young lady?" she asked with a scrutinizing stare.

"Well, I formerly captained a ship, but these days I'm up for just about anything," Isabella answered.

"I can see that," Elthina replied taking another look at Isabella's attire before turning her attention back to Garrett. "Thank you again for your aid, serah…"

"Hawke, Garrett Hawke," the rogue answered before gesturing to his sibling. "This is my sister, Bethany."

"Hawke…that is a familiar name," Elthina said, appearing to be in deep thought. "Was your father Malcolm Hawke perchance?"

Garrett and Bethany's eyes widened.

"You knew our father?" Bethany asked in surprise.

Elthina nodded, but her eyes widened slightly in realization.

"Wait…"knew"?" she asked.

Both Hawke children nodded sadly.

"Our father died four years ago," Garrett stated.

"I'm so sorry," Elthina replied forlornly. "He was a good man. May the Maker bless his soul."

"How did you know him?" Bethany asked curiously.

"We met only once when he visited the Chantry. I was a Mother at the time," Elthina explained. "Your father washed away whatever doubts I had of mages. In this city, every mage who sought or desired freedom used violent means to acquire it. Your father desired freedom as well, but did not believe in achieving it through force. Truly, a model for all mages to follow."

"Mages were allowed in the Chantry?" Garrett asked in surprise. He was under the impression that every mage in Kirkwall was confined to the Gallows until the day they died.

"This was before Meredith became Knight Commander," Elthina clarified. "The former Knight Commander was a bit more lenient towards the mages."

"What was he doing here?"

"I believe he was seeking advice," Elthina recalled. "He said the woman he had been secretly courting revealed that she was pregnant and he seemed quite panicked by the news."

Both Hawkes' eyes went as wide as saucers and their faces as red a tomatoes. Varric and Isabella were unable to contain their laughter.

Truth be told, Leandra didn't tell her children much about her relationship with Malcolm, only that they fell madly in love with each other and eloped to Fereldan shortly before Garrett was born. She never mentioned the Garrett's conception was an unplanned accident.

The look on the siblings' faces told Elthina she may have revealed something she shouldn't have.

"Forgive me, I…thought you knew," she said apologetically.

"It's alright," Garrett spoke up once he managed to remove the embarrassment from his face.

"Permit me, this may seem like an unfriendly question, but…your sister, she is a mage, no?" Elthina asked while looking at the staff on Bethany's back.

Bethany's eyes widened in horror. Garrett tensed up a bit, but managed to keep his face neutral. With Elthina's knowledge of their father and the common knowledge that the Amell's were a family blessed-or cursed- with magic, he supposed logically it would only make sense for her to arrive at her conclusion.

"If she was a mage, Grand Cleric, would there be a way to persuade you to keep that information secret?" Garrett.

"Well…if she _were_ a mage, given that she played a hand in saving not only my life, but the lives of the sisters as well, I may be inclined to ignore any magical power she may possess," Elthina replied with a light grin causing Garrett to grin as well.

"In that case…no, she's not a mage," he responded with a sly smirk.

"Ah, my mistake then," Elthina said with a knowing smile.

Bethany let out a sigh of relief. Her secret was safe with the third most powerful person in Kirkwall and for that she was glad. Now all she needed was to do was hope Meredith would be as forthcoming.

'_As if,'_ she thought.

* * *

Outside, the group made their way down the Chantry steps. Elthina didn't have much to reward Garrett with other than a blessing, but Garrett assured her that he didn't need a reward mostly because their rescue was coincidental, despite Elthina's insistence that it was divine intervention.

Now came the matter of their payment. Isabella's bodyguard job had become something much more and warranted a pay raise regardless of whatever "arrangement" she wanted to work out with Garrett.

"Look," Isabella began when they reached the Chantry Square, "I'm sorry about all this. I didn't know it would come this far."

"You didn't tell us you were a slave trader," Garrett said disdainfully.

"I'm not!" Isabella insisted. "It's not what you think."

"Then start talking."

Isabella sighed before beginning her explanation.

"I used to work for the man Hayder mentioned, Castillion. He's a powerful merchant based in Antiva with ties to the Felicisima Armada."

"I'm guessing that's bad?" Garrett asked looking to Varric.

"Incredibly," the dwarf answered.

"Anyway, the jobs mostly consisted of smuggling lyrium, jewels, or the occasional criminal acquaintance. He paid well," Isabella said as if it were noteworthy.

"So how did this 'lucrative' relationship of yours sour?" Garrett asked the word "lucrative" laced with sarcasm.

"Do you remember Hayder saying that I let a group of slaves run off into the wilds?" she asked. When Garrett nodded she continued. "I was asked to escort Castillion's cargo ship, but I got a bad feeling about the job halfway through. I boarded the ships to find slaves. Nearly two hundred- elves, humans, children even. It was sickening," she said with sincere sadness in her voice. "They paid Castillion to help them escape from the Blight, but he took their money and sold them into slavery. Even I know that's wrong."

Garrett regarded her for a moment. He wondered if he could really trust her. She did keep quiet a bit from them regarding the job, and while she never outright lied to them, she was an admitted criminal and that in and of itself warranted mistrust. Still, even Garrett could see she had some small sense of honor. Honor among thieves perhaps."

"Well…the Grand Cleric's safe and we all made it out of this one alive, but I'm afraid the fee for this job has to go up some," Garret said using his best business tone.

Isabella sighed in annoyance.

"That's fair I guess," she said as she reached for the pouch strapped to her waist and pulled out a golden sovereign. "I told Lucky this was his if he provided me with the information I needed. Take it. I know it's not much, but I will find some way to repay you, I promise."

Garrett accepted the sovereign and placed it securely in his own money pouch.

"What will you do know?" Bethany asked the dark woman curiously.

"For now I'm sure, but I'm not too worried; Hayder is dead and won't be able to tell Castillion where I am," Isabella answered. "He'll find me eventually though; I have no doubt about that. My only hope is to find the relic I guess. Simple as that."

"What exactly is the relic?" Garrett asked curiously. He heard Hayder mention a relic as well. Garrett assumed whatever this thing was has to be some kind of rare treasure if Isabella's life depended on it so.

"I don't know what is exactly except that it's ancient and worth my weight and gold," Isabella responded.

"So you're basically looking for something you know nothing about," Varric surmised.

"Yeah, that's basically it" Isabella replied with a sigh. "Castillion has me tracking it down as payment for freeing his slaves. To be honest, I think he just wants me dead, but that would be letting me off easy."

Garrett thought for a moment. Isabella was clearly a capable warrior and was obviously very street-wise. Having someone like her in his employ could be a potentially great boon. He looked back at Varric and the dwarf sighed in exasperation as if he knew what his partner wanted, but nodded his head anyway.

"I'll tell you what," Garrett said turning back to Isabella. "We'll help you keep Castillion off your back and in exchange you pay us back by working for us."

"Hmm…" Isabella hummed in thought while staring at Garrett with a raised brow. "Why would you need me?"

"You look like a girl that can clearly take care of yourself," Garrett replied with a shrug.

"I know there's more to it than that," Isabella said with a wry smile. "You just want to know what the Captain's curves feel like, don't you?"

"There's that," Garrett responded with a smirk while Bethany gagged behind him, "and the fact that Varric and I are planning something big and we could really use the extra help."

"Varric? Is your brother that loud mouth dwarf that's been standing around Hightown for the last week shouting about his expedition?"

"One in the same," Varric nodded.

"Oh, so you must really need my help then."

"You help us, we help you. Everyone gets their dues. Deal?" Garrett asked.

It didn't take Isabella long to think it over. They needed each other and in the end, working with Garrett was definitely better than working alone or through idiots like Lucky and it would keep her alive much longer.

"Alright then, you got a deal," Isabella finally said.

"Great to have you with us," Garrett said with a satisfied smile.

"I'm sure it is," Bethany muttered to herself.

"Your brother never struck me as the 'lady's man'," Varric whispered to Bethany.

"Sometimes he's just more of a dog than Fang," she replied causing Fang to hang his head and whine.

"So that's it then," Garrett said with a shrug. "If you know about any work, come find Varric or me."

"Before we get straight down to business, I think I should compensate you for everything," Isabella stated.

"But you already paid me," Garrett said in confusion.

"I was thinking of a more 'personal' reward," the dark woman added with a smirk.

"Oh…well fantastic then," Garrett responded with a grin.


End file.
